Stones and mud were thrown at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, along with King Felipe and his wife, Queen Letizia, after they arrived in Valencia on Sunday morning to personally visit Valencia in the aftermath of devastating flooding.
The royal family and Sánchez reportedly wanted to express their support, sympathy and condolences after the natural disaster, which has already claimed 214 lives and this number is sure to rise.
However, upon arrival in Paiporta, angry locals pelted them with mud and stones, which was all captured on video. Many of them chanted, “Murderer!”
“Pedro Sánchez, you bastard, get us help now,” one shouted. In one clip, Sánchez allegedly flees in a vehicle while angry residents attack it, however, it has not been confirmed if Sánchez was in the car or if it was simply a part of his convoy.
The residents of Paiporta, in Valencia, which became the center of the disaster, are trying to clear the streets, which are covered in mud and debris, as well as search for bodies. Sánchez arrived in the settlement together with the head of the region, Carlos Mazón, and the royal family, right in the middle of the cleaning and rescue work. As soon as locals saw them, the people started whistling and shouting, and then several threw sticks, stones and mud at them.
There are now calls for Sánchez to resign following reports that the government failed to react to the flood threat, with emergency alerts only sent to phones long after rain started pouring.
One man challenged the king over the late alerts, saying, “They knew it, they knew it, and yet they did nothing,” he shouted. “It’s a disgrace.”
Sánchez was reportedly whisked away from the scene while King Felipe tried to remain on scene, speaking to victims. He reportedly left an hour later.
“We’re very angry and we’re devastated,” said Guillermo Luján, the mayor of Aldaia. “We have a town in ruins. We need to start over and I’m begging for help. Please help us.”
The overall number of missing remains unknown but there are fears there could be hundreds more bodies yet to be found. According to information from the Antena3 channel, three more victims were found on Sunday in the settlement called Pedralba, but the body of a woman was also found in Letúr, Albacete, 12 kilometers from the village where she lived.
