Flood victims' bodies flown home

Mr and Mrs Cullen had been married for 25 years

The bodies of a mother and daughter who died in Spain after being swept away by floods have been flown back to the UK.

Mark Cullen, 49, of Brighton, returned from Alicante with the bodies of his wife Lorraine, 47, and daughter, Lauren, 14.

They had been trying to cross a river to reach their home near Valencia.

Mr Cullen's daughter Samantha, Lauren's twin sister, survived by clinging to a branch. She flew back alongside her father to Gatwick Airport.

Mr Cullen said the events had left him feeling shattered.

He said: "It's all just a nightmare. My daughter Sam has been through a lot and I'm just trying to keep her out of the limelight and for things to settle down a little."

Mrs Cullen and Lauren were carried off by the current in the River Clariano in L'Olleria, near Valencia, during flash floods last Thursday evening.

Their bodies were found early the next day, just over a mile downriver.

Wedding anniversary

Mr Cullen flew out to Valencia last week with his sons, Daniel, 22, and Darren, 19, to be with Samantha after the tragedy.

The deaths came just after the Cullens' 25th wedding anniversary.

Mr Cullen said he and his family had nowhere to stay because their home had been rented out until Christmas.

They are currently with friends, while their belongings are all still in Spain.

He said the return flights had been arranged by medical insurers after the family ran into difficulties in finding the money to pay for the repatriation.

Mr Cullen praised Bupa International and the British Consulate for their help in bringing the bodies back.