Bad weather

Spain, King Felipe protested at flood sites: visit to Chiva postponed. Red alert again in Valencia

Felipe VI and the Spanish Prime Minister arrived at the most flood-affected areas, but were greeted by a crowd that hurled insults at his party in Paiporta. Dozens of victims are feared trapped in the car parks of shopping centres and supermarkets. Thousands without water and light

3 November 2024

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New alert in Spain for bad weather after the tragic flooding of the past few days. The Spanish state weather service (Aemet) has issued a red alert for the southern coast of Valencia. "Strong thunderstorms could occur in the next few hours in this area: more than 90 l/m² in one hour. In principle, these will not be very persistent showers. Extreme danger. Be very careful!' reads Aemet's X account. The Spanish state weather agency, Aemet, had earlier in the day issued a red warning for torrential rain in the province of Almería as well: 'Possible channel overflows and flooding. The danger is extreme! Do not travel unless absolutely necessary!", reads the message posted on social media.

King Felipe challenged

Meanwhile, King Felipe and his wife Letizia, accompanied by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, arrived in the flooded areas of the Valencia belt, welcomed by the president of the region, Carlos Mazon. The king was, however, challenged by the crowd at the flood sites and some people even threw mud at him, according to images broadcast by Spanish TV. The monarch was protested by the crowd when, together with Sanchez, he arrived in Paiporta, one of the hardest hit towns on the outskirts of Valencia. In an atmosphere of enormous tension and chaos, the group formed by the two royals, Sanchez and Mazon, received mud throws from the exasperated population of Paiporta. Many shouted 'murderers', as seen in the images broadcast on Spanish TV. In the images, King Felipe can be seen surrounded by people who approached him to talk to him despite the security cordon keeping the crowd at a distance. The ruler also tried to take cover with some umbrellas. The footage also shows King Felipe responding to some of the people present.

The visit of the Spanish royal family to Chiva has been postponed. This has just been decided by the state and regional authorities and the Royal House itself. Felipe and Letizia were expected by hundreds of people on this second leg of their visit to the flooded areas: a short while ago they had let it be known that they wanted to continue with the planned programme, but after the fierce protest they suffered a short while ago in Paiporta, the postponement was decided.

"I want to express all the solidarity and recognition of the anguish and suffering suffered by the people" affected by the floods, but I "condemn any kind of violence". Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said this from the Valencia Community Emergency Centre, where he was taken after he had to leave Paiporta. Three people from his escort and that of King Felipe and Letizia were slightly injured.

We must 'understand the anger and frustration' of the people affected by the floods, King Felipe of Spain added.

Victims rise to 214

Meanwhile, the death toll of the worst floods of the century on the Spanish Levante side continues to rise: 214 people have died, mostly in the municipalities of Valencia's southern belt, to which 3 women have died in Castilla la Mancha and Andalusia, according to the latest toll from the Valencia Region's Emergency Centre. King Felipe VI and Premier Pedro Sanchez will visit the affected areas today, 3 November, where an additional 5,000 military personnel have arrived, as announced yesterday by the premier.

Valencia, le drammatiche immagini dall'alto di Paiporta allagata

Army searching for the missing

A total of 7,500 army members are on the ground searching for the missing, joined by 5,000 police officers and civil guards mobilised by the Ministry of the Interior. According to the authorities, electricity has been restored to 94% of the utilities, but 7,000 people still remain without light and thousands without water. On the fifth day since the floods, hopes of finding survivors among the 'desaparecidos', whose number is still unspecified, are diminishing.

"Parking lots like mud graveyards"

The search is concentrated in the car parks of shopping centres and homes that have so far remained isolated by the tide of mud. Dozens of victims are feared trapped in the parking lot of the Bonair shopping centre in Aldaia, where water pumps have since yesterday sucked up 75 per cent of the water that reaches four metres into the two basement floors. The fire brigade and EMU soldiers have entered the car park with several boats, to search for people in the submerged cars in what could be a huge mud graveyard. The Civil Defence activated teams of psychologists to assist the relatives of possible victims.

Maltempo Spagna, tragedia nel parking al centro commerciale: "E' un cimitero"

Rescue operations also continue in the car park of the Consum supermarket in Benetusser, where at least 20 people are being sought among the water-swallowed cars. "There are an estimated 1,900 missing. 1900 is the number of calls to 112 from relatives who have no news of their loved ones, but for the most part this is in response to the lack of communication,' Interior Minister Fernando Grande Marlaska clarified last night to Cadena Ser. 'Such estimates would mislead us and do not generate confidence,' he added. The priority of the Military Emergency Unit (EMU) and the emergency services is to find any survivors and restore roads and infrastructure to get aid to the affected populations.

Fango e auto ammassate nelle strade di Sedavi, in Spagna. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The controversy over delays

The president of the Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, last night called for seven central government ministers to join the work of the Emergency Coordination Centre for the management of the disaster, which remains under his mandate, despite the fiery controversy over the delays in alerting the population of the Dana's arrival and in the subsequent relief efforts. Circulation in the affected areas of Valencia province remains restricted to rescue vehicles, health and emergency services, residents and those caring for disabled or dependent persons. Due to the yellow alert declared by Amet, the state meteorology company, on the Levante side, for torrential rain expected today, the Generalitat has banned volunteers from at least 11 municipalities affected by the floods.