Hundreds of residents of a Valencia suburb particularly badly hit by last week's deadly floods protested on Sunday during a visit by Spanish King Felipe and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, with some throwing mud at them.
Chanting "Murderers, murderers!" they vented pent-up anger over what has been widely perceived by local residents as tardy alerts from the authorities about the dangers of Tuesday's storm and flooding in the Valencia region, and then a late response by the emergency services when disaster struck.
"It was known and nobody did anything to avoid it," a young man told the king, who insisted on staying on to talk to the people despite the turmoil, while the prime minister had withdrawn.
At one point in the visit to the stricken suburb of Paiporta Felipe held a man who was crying on his shoulder.
The central government has said issuing alerts to the population is the responsibility of regional authorities. The Valencia authorities have said they acted as best as they could with the information available to them.
Sanchez said on Saturday that any potential negligence would be investigated later.
The death toll from the country's worst flash floods in modern history edged higher to 217 on Sunday - almost all in the Valencia region and over 60 of them in Paiporta alone. Dozens of people were still unaccounted for, while some 3,000 households still had no electricity, officials said.
Thousands of additional troops and police joined the disaster relief effort over the weekend in the largest such peacetime operation in Spain.
The floods engulfed streets and lower floors of buildings, and swept away cars and bits of masonry in tides of mud.
The tragedy is already Europe's worst flood-related disaster in a single country since 1967 when at least some 500 people died in Portugal.
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Heavy rains from storm Martinho have forced evacuations and emergency declarations in several Spanish regions, following weeks of intense downpours.
Italy and Spain made it clear on Monday that they are not prepared to support an EU proposal to pledge up to 40 billion euros ($43.67 billion) in military aid for Ukraine this year on a proportional basis, according to officials and diplomats.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov met with his Spanish counterpart, Margarita Robles, to discuss European security and strengthening Ukraine’s defence forces.
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Torrential rains triggered severe flooding in eastern Spain on Thursday, sweeping away cars and forcing school evacuations. Authorities closed roads in Murcia, Valencia, and Catalonia, with officials urging residents to stay indoors.
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U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz admitted on Tuesday that he created the Signal chat where sensitive details about U.S. strikes on Yemen were shared — and called the episode “embarrassing.”
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Signal president Meredith Whittaker has defended the platform’s security after senior Trump administration officials mistakenly included a journalist in a private Signal group chat discussing U.S. military action against Yemen’s Houthis.
Sweden’s Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson stated on Thursday that purchasing U.S. weapons does not pose a security risk for his country, but emphasized the need for Europe to reduce its reliance on American defense systems. His comments come amid growing discussions within Europe.
NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams completed an unexpectedly long 286-day mission on the ISS, returning to Earth aboard a SpaceX capsule after delays caused by technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner.
Mexican forces have dismantled a massive meth lab in Zacatecas, dealing a blow to a Sinaloa Cartel faction.
Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) pilots, monitoring a Chinese navy warship as it navigated Australian waters, were alerted to a live-fire exercise via a civilian radio broadcast, defense officials revealed on Tuesday.
Serbia’s parliament has officially accepted the resignation of Prime Minister Milos Vucevic, setting a 30-day deadline for the formation of a new government or the calling of snap elections.
Kabul, Afghanistan - Climate change has become a critical destabilizing factor in Afghanistan, worsening the country's already severe economic and social instability.
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz admitted on Tuesday that he created the Signal chat where sensitive details about U.S. strikes on Yemen were shared — and called the episode “embarrassing.”
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will face a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, marking an early test of the strength and unity of her ruling coalition after two days of fierce opposition scrutiny.
Signal president Meredith Whittaker has defended the platform’s security after senior Trump administration officials mistakenly included a journalist in a private Signal group chat discussing U.S. military action against Yemen’s Houthis.
Russia and Ukraine have agreed to suspend attacks on key energy infrastructure for 30 days, according to a statement published by the Kremlin on Tuesday.
As the world shifts toward clean energy at an ever-accelerating pace, large economies are scrambling to secure reliable supply chains for rare earth minerals. These minerals, once seen as mere industrial components, have become a political tool in the global power struggle
Kabul, Afghanistan - Climate change has become a critical destabilizing factor in Afghanistan, worsening the country's already severe economic and social instability.
U.S. National Security Advisor Mike Waltz admitted on Tuesday that he created the Signal chat where sensitive details about U.S. strikes on Yemen were shared — and called the episode “embarrassing.”
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra will face a no-confidence vote in parliament on Wednesday, marking an early test of the strength and unity of her ruling coalition after two days of fierce opposition scrutiny.
Signal president Meredith Whittaker has defended the platform’s security after senior Trump administration officials mistakenly included a journalist in a private Signal group chat discussing U.S. military action against Yemen’s Houthis.
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