Residents of Paiporta, the worst-hit town in Spain’s devastating floods, unleashed their anger at King Felipe VI on Sunday, shouting the question underscoring their heartbreak: “How many have died?”
Torrential rains on Tuesday caused Spain’s worst disaster in decades with at least 217 dead and uncertainty over how many remain missing and that has unleashed anger over the warnings and the government response.
The king, Queen Letizia and politicians visiting the Valencia region town of 25,000 people were met with jeers, shouts of “murderers!” and mudslinging.
The crowd had their sights set on Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and Valencia regional government head Carlos Mazon, a figure from the right-wing Popular Party (PP).
For residents of Paiporta, where officals say over 70 people died and an unknown number are missing, the leaders’ first official visit five days after the devastation struck was too late.
As the official motorcade arrived in the streets still filled with mud and debris, hundreds of people rushed to the black vehicles, with one person shouting abuse at the prime minister.
Sanchez and Mazon were whisked away by worried security guards, while the monarchs pressed on into the crowd as overwhelmed police officers tried to protect them.
– ‘Aren’t you ashamed?’ –
“These aren’t deaths, they’re murders,” some young people shouted, while another man in tears told the royal couple to get out of the town.
Tensions mounted, as Felipe, jacket, face and hair smudged with mud, tried taking a few more steps forward.
“If you had come on the first day and put on your boots, the people would have supported you,” said one young man in a yellow jacket. “There are dead people over there!” he added.
Letizia, forehead and nose also grazed by mud, listened to a young girl nearby as a man shouted: “There are dead children, aren’t you ashamed?”
After leaving Paiporta, King Felipe said the country had to “understand the anger and frustration” of people in the disaster zone.
In a social media video, the king called on the public to give the victims “hope and their guarantee that the state in its entirety is present”.
Despite the arrival of emergency services and police, residents of this southern suburb of Valencia feel forgotten.
They also accuse authorities of failing to issue the severe weather warnings early enough.
“Where is Pedro Sanchez, where is he?” people chanted as the prime minister left the scene.
– ‘You’ll forget us’ –
After walking along part of one of the town’s avenues that has been turned into a graveyard of rubble, entangled cars and heaps of mud, the monarchs attempted to return to their vehicles.
They paused, under the watch of their nervous security team, talking to more residents before finally leaving the community to its struggle.
“They’ve all come here to protect the king and won’t let through those who really came to protect the streets,” Adrian Garcia said, unable to forget the events of Tuesday night.
“I saw a footbridge break. We had to save an elderly woman, the police and myself,” he added, his voice trembling.
The restaurant he worked at was destroyed, and rebuilding will likely take months.
“In a week’s time, you’ll forget all about us,” he lamented.
