The King and Queen of Spain have been pelted with mud and other objects by angry protesters during a visit to the flood-hit town of Paiporta.
Shouts of “murderer” and “shame” were directed at the royal delegation as they walked through the town – one of the worst-affected areas of the Valencia region.
With mud on their faces and clothes, King Felipe and Queen Letizia were later seen consoling members of the crowd.
More than 200 people were killed in the floods, the worst in Spain for decades. Emergency workers are continuing to comb through underground car parks and tunnels in the hope of finding survivors and recovering bodies.
There has been anger at a perceived lack of warning and insufficient support from authorities after the floods.
King Felipe and Queen Letizia have been visiting Paiporta, a town that has been severely affected.
Footage showed the king making his way down a pedestrian street, before his bodyguards and police were suddenly overwhelmed by a surge of protesters, hurling insults and screaming.
They struggled to maintain a protective ring around the monarch, as some of the protesters threw mud and objects.
The king engaged with several, even embracing them.
Images showed mud on the faces and clothes of the king, queen and the officials accompanying them, who held umbrellas over the monarch as they departed.
The civil guard and mounted officers were later seen attempting to disperse the angry crowd.
It comes after residents criticised local authorities over their response to catastrophic flooding.
Juan Bordera, a member of the Valencian parliament, called the king’s visit “a very bad decision”.
Authorities “didn’t listen to any warnings,” Mr Bordera told the BBC.
“It’s logical that the people are angry, it’s logical that the people didn’t understand why this visit is so urgent,” he added.
In a post on X, the president of Valencia’s parliament, Carlos Mazón, said he understood the public’s anger and praised the king’s “exemplary” response.
On Saturday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez ordered 10,000 more troops, police officers and civil guards to the area.
He said the deployment was Spain’s largest in peacetime. But he added that he was aware the response was “not enough” and acknowledged “severe problems and shortages”.
The flooding began on Tuesday, following a period of intense rainfall. Floodwaters quickly caused bridges to collapse and covered towns with thick mud.
Many communities were cut off, left without access to water, food, electricity and other basic services.
On Sunday, the death toll from the flooding rose to 217, with many more feared missing.
Almost all of the deaths confirmed so far have been in the Valencia region on the Mediterranean coast.
Some areas have been particularly devastated. Authorities in town of Paiporta, visited today by the royal couple, have reported at least 62 deaths.
Peoplesmind
