Residents of this town near Valencia threw mud in the faces of the two sovereigns. According to the latest report, 213 people died due to flooding caused by torrential rains. The authorities expect the toll to rise.
Barely arriving at the flood site this Sunday, King Felipe VI of Spain and his wife, Queen Letizia, were forced to suspend their visit. National television officially made the announcement after scenes of chaos, close to rioting, occurred at the first stage of this visit to Paiporta, in the suburbs of Valencia. A furious crowd insulted socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and right-wing regional president Carlos Mázon, throwing various objects and mud at them.
The sovereigns had planned to then go to Chiva, another town near Valencia hard hit by this tragedy, which has already left at least 214 dead.
Upon its arrival, however, the delegation was greeted by cries calling it «d’assassins» chanted by angry residents. In a video published by the online news site Eldiario.esit is possible to see residents of the disaster areas throwing projectiles at the officials, protected by umbrellas. According to an AFP journalist present on site, the crowd even threw mud in the faces of the two sovereigns.
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The sovereigns went to the crisis center set up by the authorities, where they received the latest information concerning the relief operations, the royal house said in a message on X. They must then go to Chiva, another town near Valencia hit hard by the tragedy.
The toll should rise
Five days after this bad weather, which caused the worst natural disaster in the country’s history according to the government, searches continue to find the missing, clear the roads and restore the infrastructure destroyed by the torrents of mud.
Among the victims of these floods are also two Chinese nationals, according to the Chinese embassy in Madrid. Two other Chinese nationals are missing. On the French side, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs declared on BFMTV “that to date, the Spanish authorities have not reported any French victims to us”.
The authorities expect the toll to rise. “There are still flooded ground floors or garages, basements and parking lots to be cleared and it is foreseeable that deceased people are in these spaces”declared the Minister of Transport, Oscar Puente, in a message on “more accessible areas”located “on the surface”. At the Vatican, Pope Francis said Sunday “pray for Valencia and other people in Spain who are suffering so much right now”.
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“Challenges of our life”
“We are facing the challenge of our lives but we will find the solutions”assured Saturday the conservative president of the Valencia region, Carlos Mazón, criticized for having sent a late telephone alert message to residents Tuesday evening, while the meteorological services had placed the region in “red alert” from the morning.
This royal visit comes as the Spanish meteorological agency (Aemet) issued a new orange alert for heavy rains in the Valencia region, in particular in the Valencian conurbation and in the province of Castellon, where 100 liters could occasionally fall. of water per square meter (i.e. 10 cm).
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“It seems like the end of the world”
According to the latest report released on Saturday evening by the authorities, 213 people died due to the floods. The vast majority of them (210) died in the Valencia region, with two other victims having been reported in Castile-la-Mancha and a third in Andalusia.
Authorities expect the toll to rise as car wrecks piled up in tunnels and underground parking lots in the worst-hit areas are now methodically examined. The exact number of missing people remains unknown at this stage.
On the ground, the population remains faced with a complicated situation, due to the damage caused by bad weather to transport and telecommunications infrastructure. In many communities, piles of sludge-covered cars and debris remain on the roadways.
“We’ve been cleaning for three days. Everything is covered in mud.told an AFP journalist Helena Danna Daniella, owner of a bar-restaurant in Chiva, a town of 17,000 inhabitants west of Valencia, among the most affected by the floods.
“It seems like the end of the world”adds this thirty-year-old, who says she is still in shock five days after the bad weather. People trapped in raging waves “were asking for help and there was nothing we could do (…) It drives you crazy. We look for answers and we don’t find them”.
New arrests
Faced with this chaotic situation, Pedro Sánchez announced on Saturday the sending of 5,000 additional soldiers to the region, bringing their total strength to 7,500, i.e. the “largest deployment of armed forces ever carried out in Spain in peacetime”according to him. To these soldiers will be added 5,000 police officers and civil guards responsible for supporting their 5,000 colleagues already on the ground. An amphibious ship from the Spanish Navy including operating theaters is also expected in the port of Valencia.
According to the police, around twenty new arrests also took place on Saturday evening for acts of theft and looting. Offenses denounced by the authorities, who promised to restore order.
“There are people who may have felt alone, helpless, unprotected”recognized Carlos Mazón on Saturday evening. But “I want to send a clear message, we will help all households”he added, emphasizing the“spirit of solidarity” of the inhabitants. Friday and Saturday, thousands of them went on foot to the most affected communities with shovels and brooms, in order to help those affected. These movements have in places hampered emergency services by blocking the roads.
This situation has led the authorities to limit access to certain localities. The Valencia government thus limited the number of volunteers authorized to go to the southern suburbs of the city to 2,000 on Sunday and restricted access to 12 localities.
