Furious locals pelted the Spanish royal family and the prime minister with mud on Sunday and shouted “murderers!”
The angry crowd in the city of Paiporta focused most of its anger on Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and the head of the Valencia region, both of whom were taken away by security forces.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were hit with mud in their faces and clothes as they tried to calm the angry crowd. AFP journalists saw.
The extraordinary scenes, broadcast on Spanish television, underlined the depth of the country’s anger over the response to the country’s worst disaster in decades, with the toll mounting and hopes of finding survivors fading five days later .
The king and queen arrived just after noon at a crisis center in Paiporta, the site of a disaster that Sanchez called Europe’s second-deadliest flood this century.
But more guards were soon called in to stand between the royal family and the rest of the delegation and the angry crowd, whose anger seemed most directed at Carlos Mazon, head of the Sanchez and Valencia region.
“I understand the social anger and of course I am here to receive it. This is my political and moral duty,” Mazon later said in a post on X, calling the king’s behavior “exemplary.”
The king and queen tried to calm tempers for an hour before leaving, while Sánchez and the politicians quickly left, not before the rear window of the prime minister’s vehicle was shattered.
Sánchez later said that while empathizing with the “fear and suffering” of the victims, he condemned “all forms of violence.”
Nearly all the flood deaths occurred in the Valencia region, where Spain’s meteorological agency issued a new warning of heavy rain in the region on Sunday.
Up to 90 liters of water per square meter could fall in places in the province of Castellon and the area around the city of Valencia, the agency predicted.
The alarm was also raised over heavy rainfall that could cause flooding in the southern province of Almeria, and residents were advised not to travel unless strictly necessary.
‘Cities buried under mud’
Since Tuesday’s deluge of rain and mud swept away vehicles and destroyed towns and infrastructure, thousands of emergency workers have been frantically clearing rubble in search of bodies.
Authorities have come under fire for pre-flood warning systems, while affected residents say the disaster response has been too slow.
Mazon himself has faced fierce criticism for waiting too long to issue a telephone warning in Valencia.
“I am aware that the response is not enough. There are problems and serious shortages… cities buried under mud, desperate people looking for their relatives… we must improve,” Sánchez said.
With 10,000 additional troops, police and vigilantes sent to the Valencia region, Spain carried out its largest deployment of military and security forces in peacetime, Sánchez said.
“Thank you to the people who came to help us, to all of them, because from the authorities: nothing,” said an angry Estrella Caceres (66). AFP in the city of Sedavi.
In Chiva, Danna Daniella said she had been cleaning her restaurant for three days straight.
She said she was still in shock, haunted by memories of the people trapped by the raging waters “asking for help and there was nothing we could do”.
“It drives you crazy. You look for answers and you don’t find them.”
Volunteers out in droves
Transport Minister Oscar Puente told El Pais daily that certain places would likely remain inaccessible by land for weeks.
Ordinary citizens carrying food, water and cleaning equipment have continued to support the recovery, although authorities have urged people to stay home to avoid congestion.
On Sunday, the Valencian government limited the number of volunteers allowed to travel to the city’s southern suburbs to 2,000 and limited access to twelve places.
Despite this, thousands went on foot to nearby communities, carrying brooms and shovels to help those affected.
Pope Francis offered his prayers to those affected by the disaster “who are suffering so much today.”
The storm that led to Tuesday’s flooding occurred when cold air moved over the warm waters of the Mediterranean Sea and is common at this time of year.
But scientists warn that climate change, caused by human activity, is increasing the ferocity, duration and frequency of such extreme weather events.
Emergency services updated the death toll on Sunday to 217 confirmed deaths.
It listed 213 deaths in the Valencia region, one in Andalusia in the south and three in Castilla-La Mancha, near Valencia, where the body of a woman in her 60s was discovered on Sunday.
Authorities have warned that tolls could rise further as vehicles stuck in tunnels and underground car parks are cleared.
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