Flooded With Rage

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Thousands of angry residents protested Sunday in the eastern Spanish town of Paiporta as King Felipe VI and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited the area to survey damage from flash floods that killed more than 200 people last week, NBC News reported.

Frustrated locals threw mud and objects at the king’s entourage, chanting “Murderers!” and demanding accountability for what they saw as negligence in the days leading up to the floods.

They blamed the government for failing to properly warn residents and respond in time.

Queen Letizia, visibly distressed, was spattered in mud as she engaged with residents. Despite the tense atmosphere, the king continued to speak with survivors, offering his condolences and listening to their concerns.

The unprecedented flash floods swept through the Valencia region last Tuesday, delivering 20 months’ worth of rain in just eight hours. The situation overwhelmed emergency response systems and caught many residents off guard.

Floodwaters inundated streets and lower levels of buildings, destroying homes, washing away cars, and submerging towns in mud.

Officials said around 217 people have died, with more than 60 deaths occurring in heavily affected Paiporta. Dozens are still unaccounted for and around 3,000 households remain without power.

The flooding prompted Spain’s largest-ever peacetime deployment of security forces, with thousands of troops and police joining in rescue and recovery operations over the weekend.

On Saturday, Sánchez acknowledged that the government response had been inadequate, pledging an additional 5,000 troops to assist ongoing efforts and vowing to investigate any lapses in the initial emergency alerts and coordination.

Climate scientists attributed such extreme weather to climate change, with meteorologists pointing to a warmer Mediterranean as a significant factor in intensifying torrential rains and subsequent flooding, Reuters added.