Heavy storms in south-east Spain have claimed another life, bringing the death toll from recent bad weather to three.

Officials in the city of Alicante, on the Mediterranean coast, said a person was trapped in a car when it drove into a flooded tunnel on Friday morning.

Spanish state broadcaster TVE reported that police were able to rescue two other people travelling in the vehicle.

Spanish storms
A flooded river in Ontiyente (Atlas/AP)

On Thursday, emergency services found a 51-year-old woman and her 61-year-old brother dead inside an overturned car.

Spanish weather service AEMET has maintained its alert for the region, saying it is “at extreme risk” from torrential downpours.

Local authorities have asked residents to avoid driving and have closed schools.