From first light this morning the scale of the disaster became apparent, following a night during which the security and emergency services battled to rescue people, an effort hampered by electricity and communications cuts.
All available services have been diverted to the Sant Llorenç district, as scheduled work for Wednesday is placed on hold, such as the demolitions in Son Banya. The National Police helicopter is one of these services. Schools are closed and roads are cut or affected over an area from Colonia Sant Pere to Manacor. Part of the main road between Colonia and Arta has been washed away.
Six people are now known to have lost their lives, two of them British tourists in S'Illot who were travelling in a taxi that was swept away. The search for the taxi driver is continuing.
Around 120 people were evacuated and accommodated at the Miquel Angel Nadal sports centre in Manacor overnight. Some were able to return to homes during the night as floodwater subsided. Local people, supermarkets and shops have provided assistance and food and drink.
Eighty members of the army's UME emergency unit are now on the island to assist with the search and rescue.
Prime Minister Sánchez is due to arrive in Majorca around one o'clock this afternoon (Wednesday) and will immediately go to the scene of the disaster.
