Survivors of Spain’s worst flooding in decades heckled and appeared to throw projectiles at the Spanish royal couple and government officials visiting the disaster’s epicenter Sunday, according to reports.
King Felipe VI led others in braving the mud and other objects apparently being slung by angry protesters in Paiporta, Valencia as his bodyguards attempt to shield him using umbrellas, Reuters video shows. “Killers!” protesters along the muddy streets shout at the king, Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, according to the video.
A number of protestors reportedly wielded shovels and poles; some shouted, “Get out! Get out!” The Associated Press (AP) reported. Police officers, some on horseback, stepped in to control the crowd.
King Felipe VI of Spain (CR) is heckled by angry residents who throw mud and objects during his visit to Paiporta, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain, on November 3, 2024, in the aftermath of devastating deadly floods. A delegation led by Spain’s king and prime minister was heckled today as it visited the Valencia region hit by deadly floods, with some screaming “assassins” and others throwing mud, according to AFP journalists on the scene. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited the town of Paiporta, one of the most affected by the floods that have killed more than 200 people, alongside Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other officials. (Photo by Manaure Quintero / AFP) (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)
“It was known and nobody did anything about it,” a young man told Felipe as others crowded around the pair, according to the video.
Felipe, in his now muck-flecked raincoat, appeared unflappable, speaking with and hugging some of the protesters, video shows. One man wept on Felipe’s shoulders, as did a woman on a teary Letizia’s shoulders, according to AP.
One of Letizia’s bodyguards was reportedly injured on his forehead while Sánchez’s official car suffered a hole in the rear windshield. A woman also reportedly whacked an official car with an umbrella with another kicking it before it drove off.
Sánchez condemned the actions in a press conference after the visits to Paiporta and Chiva. “We share the anguish of the citizens. We know their needs and we have clear priorities,” he said in part. “Violence exercised by a few will not divert us from the collective interest.”
The survivors’ shock appeared to have given way to anger over allegedly late alerts from the government and a slow response from emergency services. Mobile phone alerts from regional officials were two hours too late as Paiporta was already hit by the floods, AP reported.
Queen Letizia of Spain (C), with mud stains on her face, talks with King Felipe VI as angry residents heckled them during the Spanish royal couple’s visit to Paiporta, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain, on November 3, 2024, in the aftermath of devastating deadly floods. A delegation led by Spain’s king and prime minister was heckled today as it visited the Valencia region hit by deadly floods, with some screaming “assassins” and others throwing mud, according to AFP journalists on the scene. King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited the town of Paiporta, one of the most affected by the floods that have killed more than 200 people, alongside Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and other officials. (Photo by Manaure Quintero / AFP) (Photo by MANAURE QUINTERO/AFP via Getty Images)
The Tuesday and Wednesday rainstorms affected southern and eastern Spain, from Malaga to Valencia, AP separately reported. Mudflows swept vehicles and other debris across streets and left them jumbled up. Police and rescue workers reportedly winched people from their homes and rescued drivers stranded on their car roofs by rubber boats.
Over 200 people were recorded as dead in Valencia; three others died in Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia as of Friday, according to El País. (RELATED: Flash Flood Kills 63 People In Country’s Worst Deluge In 30 Years)
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles called the flooding “unprecedented,” and noted, “The tragedy is of absolutely incredible dimensions,” El País reported. Some of the military personnel deployed to help victims had themselves lost loved ones in the disaster, Robles added while commiserating with the affected residents.
The number of soldiers deployed rose to 5,000 while that of national police officers and civil guards rose to 10,000 as of Saturday, Sánchez said, according to the outlet. The deployment was Spain’s largest in peacetime, leading to more than 30,000 people evacuated in 4,800 rescues, he added.
Each victim in Valencia is expected to directly receive $6,510 in aid, Valencia’s regional government announced, according to El País. The aid is part of a $270 million plan which reportedly will also cater to housing rehabilitation and transportation needs.
This article was originally published at dailycaller.com
