Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia joined hundreds of mourners in a memorial service in Valencia on Monday for victims of the devastating floods that killed 230 people in the east of the country.
It was the third time that the royals had returned to the Valencia region since the 29 October floods, where in the aftermath of the disaster they had initially been pelted with mud by locals angry at a lack of aid from authorities. Mud had also been thrown at the regional president, Carlos Mazón, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez who had accompanied the royals on that first visit. ALSO READ: Spanish royals, PM and regional president pelted with mud by flood survivors.
This time Felipe and Letizia received applause as they arrived for a mass in the cathedral in Valencia, capital city of the region worst hit by the floods.
Amid tight security, they joined relatives of some of those killed, national government ministers, mayors of towns that were hit, and also Carlos Mazón, fiercely criticised for his handling of the disaster.
Archbishop of Valencia Enrique Benavent in an address paid tribute to voluntary workers and people who ‘in the most tragic moments risked their lives to save others’.
Torrential rains on 29 October caused flash floods that killed at least 230 people, swept away cars, and wrecked homes and businesses, mainly in the Valencia region. Four people are still missing.
Outrage over the authorities’ handling of the disaster boiled over in the ground-zero town of Paiporta on 3 November when survivors hurled mud at the king and queen as well as at Sánchez and Mazón.
The royal couple cut short that visit but were received with applause and cheers when they returned to the region on 19 November. ALSO READ: Felipe VI and Letizia return to flood zone for first time since being pelted by mud.
They were applauded at Monday’s mass but there were also some boos and even shouts of ‘murderers!’ in front of the cathedral as they left among other dignitaries.
Mazón, who has refused to resign over his handling of the tragedy, was also heckled and confronted by worshipers and relatives at the funeral service. At the end of the mass, four women and a man confronted him for his administration’s slow response, according to El País. There were also cries of ‘coward’ and ‘murderer’. ALSO READ: Regional president of Valencia admits to ‘mistakes’ in handling flood disaster, but refuses to resign.
Mazón has faced significant criticism for his handling of the flood response. 130,000 locals took the streets in November to demand his resignation, citing the hours-long delay in sending a warning alert to residents, which arrived after the flooding had already begun in many towns, and the regional head’s now notorious lunch on the day of the floods.
A victims’ association said in a statement that politicians should not be allowed to ‘launder their image’ by attending Monday’s mass.
The government has scrambled to put together aid packages collectively worth €16.6 billion in grants and loans to help stricken citizens. ALSO READ: Sánchez defends central government’s response to Valencia floods, as aid rises to €16.6bn.
ALSO READ: 100,000 rally in Valencia, calling for regional leader to resign over flood response.
Misa por los fallecidos en las inundaciones provocadas por la DANA a la que han asistido los Reyes en la Catedral de Valencia.
➡️https://t.co/JyAVgnWX1Y pic.twitter.com/Q4GwkHTSG8
— Casa de S.M. el Rey (@CasaReal) December 9, 2024
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