Death toll rises after Storm Gloria batters Catalonia's coast

Video. Death toll rises after Storm Gloria batters Catalonia's coast

The death toll from a violent storm which has wrought havoc on huge swathes of Spain's eastern and southern coastline has risen to 13.

The death toll from a violent storm which has wrought havoc on huge swathes of Spain's eastern and southern coastline has risen to 13.

The latest deaths were in the northern Catalonia region, where the emergency services found the body of a man inside a vehicle in Cabaces, 60 kilometres northwest of Tarragona.

They had earlier found another man's body in a flooded river near Jorba, 70 kilometres northwest of Barcelona.

And late on Wednesday, they found a man who died after falling into the water in Palamos, a port town about 100 kilometres up the coast from Barcelona. They are also searching for another man missing from a merchant ship in the same area.

Earlier on Thursday, regional officials confirmed the death of a 75-year-old woman whose house collapsed because of heavy rain in Alcoi, a town in the eastern Alicante region.

Storm Gloria hit the region on Sunday, bringing strong winds, torrential rains and heavy snow, battering Spain's southern and eastern flanks before moving north.

Gale-force winds and huge waves smashed into seafront towns, with dramatic images showing massive flooding that has damaged shops, houses and restaurants.