On Sunday, a group of angry flood survivors in the eastern region of Spain called out insults and threw mud at King Felipe VI.
“Get out! “Get out!” The crowd yelled “Killers”, among other insults, as the royal, Queen Letizia, and other government officials tried to speak to the locals of Paiporta, which is an area on the outskirts of Valencia that was devastated.
As a crowd of about a dozen people hurled mud at the royals and officials, bodyguards opened umbrellas to protect them.
The police had to intervene with a few officers on horses to control the crowd. The king, who was forced to seek safety, remained calm. He made multiple attempts to speak with residents. One person seemed to be weeping on his shoulder. He shook a man’s hand.
The queen spoke to women while mud glops were visible on her arms and hands.
“We’ve lost everything!” Someone shouted at the royals.
Spain’s worst flooding in decades has left entire neighborhoods covered with mud, and littered with cars and debris. Since Tuesday’s flooding, more than 200 people have died and many others are missing. At least 60 people died in Paiporta – the epicenter of the tragedy.
After the initial shock, the indignation over the handling of Spain’s biggest natural disaster began. The inability of the authorities to react quickly to the aftermath has fueled more anger.
Residents and volunteers have cleaned up the mud and debris which has covered countless homes.
The visit was to be accompanied by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. It is unclear if Sanchez was present when the contingent was pelted by mud.
Felipe tried to talk to people while he continued his visit. He talked to several people and patted two young men’s backs. His black raincoat was stained with mud.
According to a journalist for Spanish broadcaster RTVE near Felipe, one woman wept and told him she didn’t have food and diapers while another person said “Don’t abandon us.”
After about a half-hour of tension, they got into official cars with mounted police and drove off.
Sanchez sent 10,000 additional troops, police officers, and civil guards into the area on Saturday.
