A 25-year-old woman has been found dead today in her car after flood water swept it away last night as she drove along the RM-F22 road in Torre Pachecho (Murcia).

Realising she was in difficulty, Juana L.S. had called her family to ask for help, who then contacted the emergency services and launched their own search party.

Shortly before she disappeared, just after 8pm, the woman made another desperate call to her family.  "Come and get me," she begged them, "I'm drowning".

Her body was found at about 1pm today inside her car, a green Seat Leon, which the emergency services had pulled out of a small irrigation reservoir on agricultural land in the Piedras Blancas area of Torre Pacheco.

Over 120 people had taken part in the search for Juana, including local police, firefighters, guardia civil officers, civil protection officers and members of the public.  Two helicopters had also been deployed.

Today's search centred on the irrigation reservoir after it was discovered that the protective barricade had been broken, most probably by the force of the car being pushed along by the flood water.