Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Valencia on Saturday, demanding regional president Carlos Mazon’s resignation over floods that have killed more than 220 people. The protests highlight widespread anger over ongoing school closures and the government’s handling of the crisis.

Protests erupted in the streets of Valencia in eastern Spain on Saturday led by families and teachers. They are demanding action by the regional president, Carlos Mazon, over floods that killed more than 220 people.

The regional teachers' union STEPV say that thirty schools are still closed following the worst flooding in Spain’s modern history. They say 13,000 children have nowhere to learn.

The Spanish government said about 5,000 people attended the demonstration with reports of violence and vandalism near Valencia’s City Hall Square, where police used batons and shields to push back an angry crowd.

According to reports, five people remain missing in the Valencia region after torrential rains and flooding drowned people in cars and underground car parks and collapsed homes.

Questions over the regional government's handling of the floods persist, as demonstrators call for the resignation of Carlos Mazon.

According to a Valencian regional government spokesperson, about 32,000 students from flood-hit areas had returned to school since Nov. 11.

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