A crowd of angry survivors have hurled mud and insults at Spain’s King Felipe during a visit to one of the worst flood-hit towns.
The King and his wife, Queen Letizia, along with Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, were touring devastated Paiporta, just outside Valencia, when they were confronted by locals.
Police on horseback were forced to step in and push back a crowd of several dozen people.
“Get out! Get out!” and “Killers!” rang out among other insults.
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Vehicles marked by firefighters, with a code indicating that they have searched for casualties from the floods in Paiporta. Pic: Reuters
A piece of mud thrown at the king is intercepted by a member of his security. Pic: Reuters
After being forced to seek protection from the mud, the king remained calm and made several efforts to speak to individual residents. One person appeared to have wept on his shoulder. He shook the hand of a man.
Regional Valencia President Carlo Mazón was also in the contingent.
Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia shake hands with Spanish Civil Guards. Pic: Casa de S.M. el Rey/Jose Jimenez/Reuters
Volunteers and residents clean up the mud from flash floods in Paiporta, yesterday. Pic: AP
More than 200 people were killed and thousands made homeless in the region after walls of water and mud destroyed their homes this week. At least 60 of the dead were in Paiporta, an epicentre of suffering.
The government has been accused of doing little to help survivors who have complained about the slow reaction of emergency services, and the shortage of food and water.
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“It was known and nobody did anything to avoid it,” a young man told the king, who insisted on staying on to talk to the
people despite the turmoil, while the prime minister had withdrawn.
The death toll from the historic floods which hit parts of southern and eastern Spain between Tuesday and Wednesday has reached 217.
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