Mud thrown at Spain's King Felipe during visit to flooded areas

PAIPORTA, Spain,— Hundreds of residents in a suburb of Valencia, still reeling from last week’s deadly floods, took to the streets on Sunday to express their anger during a visit by Spain’s King Felipe, Queen Letizia, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Some protesters, frustrated by what they saw as delayed warnings and a slow emergency response, hurled mud at the officials, chanting “Murderers!” in a raw display of grief and frustration.

Residents of Paiporta, one of the hardest-hit areas, voiced their anguish and disappointment, saying more timely alerts could have saved lives.

“The dead are still in garages, families are desperately searching for loved ones,” said local resident Nuria Chisber, her eyes welling up with tears. “If we had been warned, many lives could have been spared.”

King Felipe, dressed in a dark raincoat and marked by his tall frame and silver hair, tried to comfort those around him, even as the protest grew heated.

In one moment captured on video, he held a grieving man close to his shoulder, while Queen Letizia was seen tearfully hugging residents, her face and hair streaked with mud.

Bodyguards, some visibly injured, shielded the royals with umbrellas as the tension in the crowd rose. Prime Minister Sanchez, however, left the scene quickly, opting to avoid further confrontation.

The death toll from what has become Spain’s worst flash flood disaster in recent history rose to 217, with over 60 fatalities reported in Paiporta alone.

The unprecedented flooding overwhelmed streets and ground floors, sweeping away vehicles and debris in waves of thick mud. Meanwhile, more rain was expected, with police vehicles broadcasting warnings to residents to prepare for additional downpours.

Political finger-pointing has since intensified. Spain’s central government has suggested that regional authorities in Valencia are responsible for issuing public alerts, while local officials argue they acted as quickly as possible with the information available.

Valencia’s regional president, Carlos Mazon, who also faced jeers from residents, acknowledged the public’s anger, posting on social media, “I understand the frustration. It’s my duty to be here and hear it.”

Experts and scientists are weighing in on the catastrophic event, attributing the severity to extreme weather patterns increasingly linked to climate change.

Jorge Olcina, a climate scientist at the University of Alicante, noted that with better communication and coordinated warnings, “many fatalities could have been avoided.” He also pointed out the difficulty of managing a disaster of this scale, given the unpredictable nature of extreme weather.

The government has since mobilized thousands of additional troops and police to support rescue and relief operations in what is now Spain’s largest-ever peacetime response.

As cleanup efforts continue, the tragedy stands as Europe’s deadliest flood event in a single country since 1967, when severe flooding in Portugal claimed the lives of around 500 people.

With a nation in mourning and calls for accountability growing, Prime Minister Sanchez pledged an investigation into any potential lapses.

The King, in an effort to quell unrest, warned of “toxic misinformation” that could worsen an already volatile situation.

(With files from Reuters)