At least eight people have been killed as Storm Gloria has rampaged across eastern Spain, unleashing winds of up to 144km/h and waves up to 13.5m high, officials said on Wednesday.

Three people remained missing four days after Storm Gloria began pummelling the region with torrential rain and heavy snowfall alike. Rescue officials said the missing included a 25-year-old Briton on the island of Ibiza and a man who fell into the Mediterranean as he tried to moor his boat in Palamos port.

The storm began receding on Wednesday after leaving more than 200,000 people without power at times, destroying rice paddies in the Ebro river delta and triggering weather alerts for three dozen provinces.