Thousands of people protest in Spain over authorities' response to deadly floods

Thousands of people protest in Spain over authorities' response to deadly floods

Kyiv  •  UNN

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Mass protests against the actions of the regional authorities during the deadly floods took place in Valencia. Demonstrators accuse the authorities of belatedly raising the alarm, which led to numerous casualties.

Thousands of people demonstrated in Valencia. The protests are a response to the way regional authorities have handled the devastating floods. This was reported by Reuters, according to UNN.

Details

During the most recent demonstration over the floods, protesters filled the center of Valencia, demanding the resignation of regional government leader Carlos Mason and chanting “Murderers!

“Our hands are stained with mud, yours with blood,” reads one of the banners.

Local residents blame Mazón for the belated announcement of the alert, which he issued at 20:00 on October 29, when water had already begun to flood many nearby towns and villages. The Valencian leader himself said he would have issued the alert earlier if the official water monitoring service had provided information about the seriousness of the situation. Mazón refused to comment on the situation to Reuters.

We want to show our outrage and anger at the poor management of this disaster that has affected so many people,

- said Anna Oliver, president of one of the 30 or so organizations that held the protest.

It is noted that the police were forced to intervene when some protesters started throwing stones. The damage to the city council building from the thrown objects was minor.

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The Spanish National Meteorological Service has been issuing storm warnings since October 25. Some municipalities and local authorities raised the alarm much earlier than the regional government. For example, the University of Valencia warned employees not to come to work on October 28. Several city councils suspended operations, closed public institutions, and advised people to stay home. The AEMET meteorological service raised the threat level to red for the Valencia area at 7:36 am on October 29.

Almost 80 people are still missing, and the flood was the deadliest natural disaster in a single European country since the floods in Portugal in 1967, which claimed about 500 lives.

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