Survivors of Spain’s devastating floods confronted King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and senior political leaders during a visit to Paiporta, throwing mud and other objects while accusing authorities of failing the communities hit by the disaster.
The royal couple arrived in the town near Valencia with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the regional president. What began as an official inspection quickly became a tense encounter with dozens of residents. People shouted “Get out” and “Killers,” while mud struck the visitors and umbrellas were raised to shield them.
Spain’s national broadcaster reported that rocks and other hard objects were also thrown. Two bodyguards received treatment for injuries, according to the Associated Press, and one was seen with a bleeding forehead. A rear window of the prime minister’s official car was broken. Police, including mounted officers, moved in to hold back members of the crowd, some of whom carried shovels or poles.
Sánchez was taken away soon after the confrontation began. One person hit an official vehicle using an umbrella; another kicked the car, which then departed. The prime minister later expressed solidarity with residents’ suffering and needs but said most people rejected the violence seen during the visit.
King Felipe remained at the scene and tried to speak individually with residents despite mud on his face and clothing. He embraced and comforted some people. Queen Letizia, who also spoke with survivors, became tearful during an exchange with a woman. The king later said he understood the anger and frustration caused by what he called a monumental disaster.
Officials abandoned a planned second visit to Chiva, another flood-damaged community east of Valencia. The scenes in Paiporta represented an extraordinary public challenge for Spain’s monarchy, whose appearances are normally tightly managed and whose duties include visiting communities after national tragedies.
Anger after days without basic services
The confrontation came five days after flash floods swept through eastern Spain. Paiporta, a town of about 30,000, was among the worst affected. The Associated Press reported that more than 60 people died there, while homes, shops and streets were buried in mud and wrecked vehicles.
The national toll was still developing. An earlier Associated Press report put the number of deaths across eastern Spain at no fewer than 205; the BBC’s later live coverage reported at least 217 dead, with additional people feared missing.
Many residents remained without reliable basic services. Drinking water was unavailable to some households, phone and internet connections were inconsistent, and electricity had only recently returned for much of the area. Residents and large numbers of volunteers had taken on much of the work of removing mud and debris from homes.
Public frustration focused on the speed of official warnings and the subsequent relief operation. The Associated Press reported that a regional mobile-phone alert arrived after flooding had already reached Paiporta. Residents quoted by the BBC said they felt abandoned and had not received adequate assistance, even after the government announced that 10,000 additional soldiers and police would be sent to Valencia.
Demands for accountability were directed at both national and regional leaders. The crowd called for the regional president to resign and demanded to know where Sánchez was. Paiporta Mayor Maribel Albalat said she understood residents’ desperation while rejecting violence, adding that responsibility for failures would have to be examined later.
After leaving the street, Felipe told regional officials that the response needed to give survivors hope, meet their needs and demonstrate that the state was present. His decision to remain and listen did not settle the broader dispute over emergency management. It did, however, turn the visit into a direct encounter between Spain’s institutions and residents still living among the wreckage.
