MADRID, Sept. 29 (Xinhua) -- The total number of deaths caused by the heavy rainfall to hit the southeast of Spain has risen to eight on Saturday.

Four of the victims died in the Community of Murcia, three of them, including a nine-year-old girl died when part of a bridge on the A7 motorway collapsed.

A fourth victim was found near the city of Lorca on Saturday after she had been swept away by rising floodwaters.

Meanwhile a man and a woman, trapped by floods, died in their car in the province of Almeria.

A 60-year-old man, suffered a heart attack as he was being evacuated into a helicopter, also died in Almeria.

The floods claimed their first victim early on Saturday when the rainfall had reached 200 liters per square meter in some parts of the region and caused the river Guadalahorce breaking its banks close to the town of Alora, north of Malaga.

12 other people were rescued by emergency services in the area.

Meanwhile authorities are searching for a 52-year-old British woman, who has been missing in the locality of Vera, close to Almeria, another woman working in the local hotel, along with other 80 people, was evacuated from the nearby tourist resort.

The Spanish Military's Emergency Unit has been called to help with the situation and over 5,000 people have been evacuated from several points of the south-east. Enditem

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