Family's grief as body of Diana Dudas, from Loughborough, is found at sea
A woman who went missing in flash floods in Spain has been confirmed as dead.
The family of Diana Dudas, from Loughborough, paid tribute to the 52-year-old, saying she was a "wonderful woman".
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Diana Dudas, from Loughborough
Brother-in-law Peter Murdock spoke after it was announced that Diana's body had been found.
Mr Murdock, of Swannington, near Coalville, who is married to Diana's younger sister Sue, said the family had been living in hope since she disappeared last Friday following torrential rain in southern Spain.
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He said: "Once we had heard Diana had gone missing we were hoping for the best, but realised all might not be well.
"We are all devastated that she has died. She was a truly wonderful woman who loved life and who was loved by everyone who met her."
The body of Diana, who had worked as a hairdresser and holistic therapist in Loughborough, was recovered on Wednesday four miles out to sea and 60 miles from where she had last been seen.
Diana went missing last Friday while on the way to work in Vera, Almeria province, at the eastern end of the Costa del Sol.
She was reported missing a short time afterwards by her Spanish husband Javier.
Her body was spotted by the crew of a fishing boat at lunchtime on Wednesday and recovered by the crew of a Civil Guard patrol vessel.
Mr Murdock said: "Diana's husband has been totally devastated.
"They had been together for 14 years and were so much in love."
Mr Murdock said a post-mortem examination had been carried out and the funeral had taken place in Spain yesterday.
He said he and Sue, 51, were to fly out to pay their respects and to comfort Mr Dudas.
He said: "What made it worse for us as a family was to read reports in national newspapers about Diana being confirmed as dead when that was not the case.
"That made the situation even more unbearable for us."
Mr Murdock said the family planned to hold a memorial service for Diana in Loughborough.
He said: "She had so many friends here that we want to give the all the chance to come to pay their respects to her."
He said Mr and Mrs Dudas had lived in America and Turkey before settling in Spain.
He said: "Their friends all over the world have been sending us messages of condolence, which have given us strength at this difficult time."
The discovery of Diana's body took the number confirmed killed in the worst storms along the southern and eastern coast of Spain for more than a decade to 13.
Others who died included a nine-year-old girl trapped in a car in Murcia, her 65-year-old grandfather who was driving the vehicle and a neighbour who dived into the raging torrent in an effort to rescue them.
The floods followed the hottest and driest summer in Spain for over 60 years.
Hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, unable to sink into the parched earth, poured down from high ground, washing away cars, trees, bridges and buildings in its path towards the sea.
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