Spain’s king wants to encourage those affected by the flood disaster. But the visit to the particularly affected town of Paiporta had to be canceled on Sunday for safety reasons.
Spain’s King Felipe VI (in the middle, under the umbrella) meets extremely angry residents in Paiporta on Sunday.
Biel Alino / EPA
This is how Felipe VI. and his wife Letizia did not present their visit to southeastern Spain. When they wanted to visit Paiporta, the epicenter of the flood disaster, on Sunday to encourage those affected, they were greeted with chants. “Murderer, murderer,” people shouted, and “son of a bitch” could also be heard. However, these words were mainly aimed at the Valencian regional president Carlos Mazón, who accompanied the royal couple on the visit together with Spain’s head of government Pedro Sánchez.
Head of government is attacked with a stick
People accuse Mazón of not taking the warnings from the state meteorological office Aemet seriously and thus contributing to the disaster taking the worst possible course. Despite the insults, both Felipe and his wife approached the flood victims to appease them. Then the security forces had to cancel the visit. The reason: mud was thrown at the royal couple and the queen even got a few splashes in her face. The politicians also had to be shielded and brought to safety by the emergency services. Sánchez had apparently been attacked with a stick.
“This was not an appropriate reaction, but after these horrible days without enough drinking water and food, our nerves are just on edge,” said a resident of Paiporta on Spanish radio. With more than seventy deaths now, the place is considered the epicenter of the disaster. However, it is feared that the death toll is higher. The emergency services have not yet been able to get into many of the town’s garages and cellars, which were flooded by the water. The mayor of Paiporta, Maribel Albalat, had previously complained that government support was not sufficient and that the clean-up work was going too slowly. There is only electricity again in one part of the town.
Further visit postponed
The death toll from Spain’s worst environmental disaster this century is now at least 213. Eleven locations in the Valencia region are currently only allowed to be visited by rescue workers and access is restricted. The access to Valencia is now open again.
After the experience in Paiporta, the royal couple decided to forgo the planned visit to the town of Chiva, which was also badly hit.
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