Spain Cries of "murderer" - Spanish king in storm-hit area

In Spain, people affected by Tuesday's severe storms, which left at least 217 people dead, insulted the King and Queen during a visit to the particularly hard-hit Valencia region and even threw mud, according to media reports. In the town of Paiporta near the city of Valencia, some are said to have shouted "murderer" and "resign" at the group, which consisted of King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, Spain's head of government Pedro Sánchez and Carlos Mazón, the president of the Autonomous Region of Valencia.

The atmosphere in the town, which is one of the worst devastated, was very tense, as the state broadcaster RTVE reported. The royal couple had tried to talk to the people who approached the group and calm them down. Felipe had wanted to continue the visit to the village, but was then shielded by bodyguards - some of them on horseback - for security reasons. It was initially unclear whether the visit would continue.

Criticism of politics

The second stop after Paiporta was to be the equally devastated town of Chiva, where the group also wanted to find out about the extent of the tragedy and talk to those affected. Since the storms, there has been harsh criticism of politicians and the emergency services in Spain. In many places, people felt abandoned because there was no government help on the ground in the first hours and days after the storms. There is also criticism that the Valencia regional government passed on warnings from the Aemet weather service to the population too late. Dozens of people are still missing and the death toll is likely to rise further.

SDA