Rescue teams in Spain are searching for a 66-year-old Dutchman who fell into a drainage canal in the flood-hit province of Alicante.

The family of the man, who are in the area on holiday, raised the alarm after he was swept away by flood waters in Dolores on Sunday afternoon.

Divers, a rescue boat and a helicopter searched the area but were unable to locate the man before nightfall. The operation resumed on Monday morning.

Around 3500 people have lost their homes and several people have died as a result of heavy rain and flooding in the south-east of Spain in recent days. The area between Valencia and Murcia has been worst hit, with six fatalities so far.