Thousands of Spaniards have taken to the streets of Valencia calling for the city’s leader to step down after devastating floods killed hundreds of citizens.
Protestors carrying signs reading “You killed us!” marched towards Valencia’s city hall where they were met with riot police and beaten back with batons.
At least 219 people were killed after flash floods ripped through the eastern Spanish city, leaving people trapped in homes, vehicles and businesses.
The Valencian president, Carlos Mazón, is now under huge pressure to resign after his government failed to issue flood alerts until hours after they started on 29 October.
Many demonstrators held up homemade signs reading: “You killed us!” while others chanted loudly “Mazón resign!”
The crowds, which gathered in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in Valencia’s city centre, also waved banners stating: “Where were you then when I needed you so much?” and “Your incompetence costs lives”.
Thousands of volunteers were the first boots on the ground in many of the hardest-hit areas on Valencia’s southern outskirts.
It took days for officials to mobilise the thousands of police reinforcements and soldiers that the regional government asked central authorities to send in.
Mr Mazón defended his handling of the crisis and said its magnitude was unforeseeable and that his administration didn’t receive sufficient warnings from central authorities.
But Spain’s weather agency issued a red alert, the highest level of warning, for bad weather as early as 7:30am as the disaster loomed.
Some communities were flooded by 6pm. It took until after 8pm for Mr Mazón’s government to send out alerts to mobile phones.
Last week, Mr Mazón was pelted with mud by angry locals during a visit to the flood-stricken town of Paiporta.
Mr Mazón was accompanied by Spain’s King Felipe and Queen Letizia, as well as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
Crowds of furious Valencians shouted “murderers” and other insults at the royals as well as government officials during the visit.
Police had to step in, with some officers on horseback to keep back the crowd of several dozens who hurled mud and waved shovels and poles threateningly in the air.
