Carlos Mazón, the president of Spain’s Valencia region, said on Monday that he was stepping down over his administration’s handling of the devastating ‘DANA’ floods in the region just a year ago.
Mazón had faced daily calls for his resignation, including from victims’ relatives, since the torrential downpour caused flooding on 29 October 2024, killing 229 people and causing billions of euros in damages, mainly in suburbs south of Valencia, Spain’s third-largest city.
‘The reality is that today I am the focus of criticism, noise, hatred, and tension,’ he said in a televised address. ‘I can’t go on anymore,’ he added.
Mazón, a member of Spain’s right-wing People’s Party (PP), had faced accusations that his administration failed to issue timely evacuation warnings and to coordinate rescue efforts effectively.
At a state memorial last week, victims’ relatives shouted ‘murderer’ and ‘coward’ as Mazón arrived. ALSO READ: Families of Spain’s flood victims express grief and anger at one-year memorial.
His administration, which primarily oversees emergency response under Spain’s decentralised system, sent phone alerts to residents only after flooding had already begun in some areas – more than 12 hours after the national weather agency issued its highest rain alert.
Despite early signs of danger, Mazón continued with a scheduled lunch with a journalist on the day of the disaster. On Monday, he finally acknowledged, ‘I should have cancelled my appointments.’
Mazón’s resignation comes on the same day Maribel Vilaplana, the local journalist with whom he was eating lunch on the day of the floods, was set to testify before a judge investigating authorities’ criminal liability for the deaths. ALSO READ: A year after Valencia floods that claimed 229 lives, regional president still rejects claims of negligence.
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🔴 Mazón dimite como president con críticas al Gobierno y no aclara su futuro: “Cometí errores y viviré con ellos toda la vida” https://t.co/kmNhm2ZXEi
— RTVE Noticias (@rtvenoticias) November 3, 2025
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