Anger and frustration erupted in Spain on Sunday as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia arrived in the town of Paiporta to visit the flood-affected region.
In addition to this, shouts of “murderer” and “shame” were directed at the royal couple.
In one heated exchange, a young man told King Felipe, “It was known and nobody did anything to avoid it,” referring to a belief that the government did not do enough to warn residents of the dangers the rain would bring.
Images showed mud on the faces and clothes of the king, queen. Footage showed Queen Letizia, crying as she hugged some residents.
The king later said he understood the “anger and frustration” of the protestors.
Flood in Spain
Spain is reeling from its worst flooding in decades, after a year’s worth of rain fell in just hours last week in the country’s southern and eastern regions.
The death toll from the country’s worst flash floods in modern history edged higher to 217 on Sunday – almost all of them occurring in the Valencia region, with more than 60 of them in Paiporta alone.
Emergency workers are fighting to rescue those who are trapped, with operations underway to recover bodies and clear debris.
