Spanish king and queen booed and hit with mud by flood survivors

The arrival of the Spanish authorities to the areas most affected by the floods caused by last week's rain has not been at all what they expected. Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was escorted away as some of the survivors who have lost everything banged on his car. However, Kings Felipe VI and Letizia endured boos and mud was thrown at them by outraged residents. The monarch pushed aside the umbrellas that tried to protect him to try to talk with the citizens who rebuked them.

Shouts of ‘murderers’ at king, queen and authorities

The authorities arrived in Paiporta, one of the towns most affected by the catastrophe, with a death toll that represents a quarter of the so far 216 dead officially registered. However, neighbors began to shout "murderers" at the motorcade and threw sticks at the prime minister, who was removed by security. The rear window of the vehicle transporting him ended up broken by the blows.

The king and queen, accompanied by the president of the Valencian Community, Carlos Mazón, approached to talk to the residents, although the conservative politician also ended up withdrawing before the monarchs, who continued talking to those affected, exchanging gestures of affection. The queen, her face muddy, wept as some of those affected told her "it's not because of you."

Death toll tops 200, but final toll expected to be ‘devastating’

The king and queen had planned to also visit Chiva, another of the most damaged towns, but ultimately the trip was canceled to avoid further incidents.

While some areas of the Spanish Levante remain on red alert for further heavy rainfall, rescue teams fear what they will find among the cars and wreckage. Several of the spokesmen for various organizations at the forefront of these tasks on the ground, which already include thousands of military personnel, warn that the final death toll "will be devastating," although they do not want to make an estimate.