Thousands protest over handling of Spanish flood disaster

11 November 2024 - 08:15 By Graham Keeley
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Demonstrators gather before a march in Valencia on November 9 2024 to protest against the local government as the area recovers from recent widespread flooding.
Demonstrators gather before a march in Valencia on November 9 2024 to protest against the local government as the area recovers from recent widespread flooding.
Image: David Ramos/Getty Images

Tens of thousands of people demonstrated in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia on Saturday over regional authorities' handling of devastating floods that killed more than 220 people in one of Europe's worst natural disasters for decades.

In the latest demonstration over the floods, protesters filled the centre of Valencia demanding the resignation of regional government leader Carlos Mazon and chanting “Killers”.

“Our hands are stained with mud, yours with blood,” read one banner. Some demonstrators dumped dirty boots outside the government building while others plastered it with mud.

Residents in stricken areas accused Mazon of issuing an alert too late, at 8pm on October 29, well after water was pouring into many nearby towns and villages.

The Valencian leader has said he would have issued an earlier alarm earlier if authorities had been notified of the seriousness of the situation by an official water monitoring body. Mazon did not respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

“We want to show our indignation and anger over the poor management of thes disaster which has affected so many people,” said Anna Oliver, president of Accio Cultural del Pais Valenciano, one of about 30 groups that organised the protest.

Though the demonstration was largely peaceful, police charged stone-throwing protesters at one point and objects hurled at the city council building caused minor damage.

After days of storm warnings from the national weather service from October 25 onward, some municipalities and local bodies raised the alarm much earlier than the regional government.

For example, Valencia University told its staff on October 28 not to come to work. Several town halls suspended activities, shut down public facilities and told people to stay home.

Weather service Aemet raised its threat level for heavy rains in the area to a red alert at 7.36am on October 29.

Nearly 80 people are missing after the most deadly deluge in a single European country since floods in Portugal in 1967 killed about 500 people.

Reuters


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