Angry crowds throw mud and shout insults at Spanish king as he tours flood damage
Anger and frustration erupted in Spain on Sunday as King Felipe VI arrived in the town of Paiporta to survey the damage from historic flash floods that killed more than 200 people on Tuesday night.
Anger and frustration erupted in Spain on Sunday as King Felipe VI arrived in the town of Paiporta to survey the damage from historic flash floods that killed more than 200 people on Tuesday night.
In a chaotic scene, mud, objects and insults were flung at the king as his entourage attempted to hold back a crowd yelling “Murderers, murderers!” and “Get out!”
King Felipe VI of Spain, center, is heckled during his visit to Paiporta on Sunday, as mud and objects were throw at him.MANAURE QUINTERO / AFP - Getty ImagesResidents called the king a murderer and told him to get out.MANAURE QUINTERO / AFP - Getty ImagesIn one heated exchange, a young man told King Felipe, “It was known and nobody did anything to avoid it,” referencing a belief that the government did not do enough to warn residents of the dangers the rains would bring.
Video posted by the Spanish newspaper El Diario showed a flustered Queen Letizia of Spain spattered in mud as she is confronted by angry residents.
The floods, which dropped 20 months’ worth of rain in just eight hours on the city of Valencia and the surrounding areas, was a sudden, catastrophic event that many felt was worsened by a government response that came too slowly to save lives. Some residents said they received alerts on their phones as the water was already rushing into their homes and cars.
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