Residents of the Valencia region (south-east of Spain), devastated at the start of the week by deadly floods, are being asked to return home this Sunday, November 3, due to the danger of further intense rainfall in the evening . The National Meteorological Agency (Aemet) has launched a new “red alert” for the southern coast of Valencia between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m., with possible precipitation of 90 liters/m2, or 9 cm, in one hour, raising the possibility of “high intensity” storms.
As the first drops of rain fell on the south of the city and the sky became more and more threatening, the police warned residents by megaphone of this new alert and the risk of heavy rain and asked them to return home. , noted an AFP journalist. The same scene played out in other areas of the city, such as the Torre district of Valencia.
Earlier today, the King and Queen of Spain, as well as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, had to cut short their visit to areas affected by the dramatic floods which left at least 217 dead – according to a latest report. Arriving at midday in Paiporta, a town in the suburbs of Valencia among the most affected by the tragedy at the start of the week, the royal procession was greeted by furious residents who attacked Pedro Sánchez and the president of right of the region, Carlos Mazón.
“Assassins!” and mud throwing
“Assassins! Assassins!”, the crowd shouted at them, as they accompanied the sovereigns. Residents threw mud and various objects at the procession, according to AFP journalists present on site. Amid extreme tension, the sovereigns even received mud – which was not intended for them – on their faces and on their clothes, an unprecedented situation in the history of the Spanish monarchy. They were then to continue to Chiva, another town near Valencia hard hit by the tragedy, but the visit was suspended a little later.
Pedro Sánchez, and especially Carlos Mazón, have been under fire from criticism since the floods that occurred overnight from Tuesday to Wednesday in the region. “Mazón resign!”, demanded residents, who also sang songs asking “where is Pedro Sánchez?” and covered him with all kinds of insults. The regional government of Valencia is accused of having sent a telephone alert message to residents very late on Tuesday, even though the meteorological services had placed the region on “red alert” in the morning. Residents also criticize the central government for the slowness of relief operations.
According to a latest report, 217 people died in the floods, including 213 in the Valencia region alone, three in Castile-la-Mancha, where the lifeless body of a sixty-year-old woman from Letur who went missing on Tuesday was discovered on Sunday morning, and one in Andalusia.