Queen Letizia and King Felipe embraced locals who were affected by the flooding in Valencia on Tuesday.
The Spanish monarchs visited the flood damaged town of Chiva, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain, in the aftermath of catastrophic deadly floods, where more than 200 people died.
The visit is the first time the royal couple returned to the area after they were heckled by angry residents during their first visit to the Valencia region of Paiporta.
Earlier this month the monarchs were pelted with mud and objects like drink cans by angry survivors of the deadly floods over the haphazard management of the crisis.
However during today’s visit to neighbouring town of Chiva, Queen Letizia and King Felipe were warmly welcomed by locals and they shared an embrace with some members of the public.
Letizia, who opted for casual black trousers and a denim shirt, gave a little girl a warm hug.
Meanwhile Felipe, who donned Khaki trousers and a navy half zip jumper, was snapped wrapping his arms around a local woman.
The royal couple were accompanied by Valencia’s Regional President Carlos Mazon and Spain’s Minister for Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Angel Victor Torres.
Queen Letizia and King Felipe VI embraced locals who were affected by the flooding in Valencia on Tuesday
During the official visit, the royals spoke with members of the Civil Protection and residents.
Earlier this month King Felipe and Queen Letizia were heckled and had mud thrown at them by furious locals during their visit to Valencia.
The monarchs were pelted with mud and objects like drink cans by angry survivors of the deadly floods as they walked through the muddy streets in Paiporta, one of the hardest-hit towns on the outskirts of Valencia where more than 60 people died.
Queen Letizia could be seen with mud speckled over her face, while one of the bodyguards escorting the royals in Paiporta had seemingly been hit by an object as he had a cut on his forehead, which caused blood to run down his face.
The crowd shouted ‘murderers’ and other insults at the royals as well as government officials during the visit, with police having to step in, with some officers on horseback to keep back the crowd of several dozens who hurled mud and waved shovels and poles threateningly in the air.
Bodyguards opened umbrellas to protect the royal visitors and officials as protesters hurled mud at them. After being forced to seek protection, the king and queen remained calm and made several efforts to speak to individual residents.
The public rage over for the haphazard management of the crisis came to a boil on Sunday. It was an unprecedented incident for a royal house that takes great care to craft an image of a monarch who is liked by the nation.
Local volunteers were angered by the royals after their security team cut off one of the few roads already cleared in Paiporta for King Felipe and Queen Letizia’s visit, which hampered clean up efforts, according to Spanish daily El Mundo.
The Spanish monarchs visited the flood damaged town of Chiva, in the region of Valencia, eastern Spain , in the aftermath of catastrophic deadly floods, where more than 200 people died
However during today’s visit to neighbouring town of Chiva, Queen Letizia and King Felipe were warmly welcomed by locals and they shared an embrace with some members of the public
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain with a young child during a visit to the areas affected by the flooding near Valencia
Over 200 people have died from floods and hopes of finding survivors ebbed five days after torrents of muddy water wrecked towns and infrastructure in Spain’s worst such disaster in decades.
Almost all the deaths have been in the Valencia region, where thousands of security and emergency services frantically cleared debris and mud in the search for bodies.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was evacuated from the scene, according to Spanish broadcaster RTVE, when the official contingent started to walk the mud-covered streets of Paiporta.
Describing ‘the worst natural disaster in the recent history of our country,’ Sanchez said it was the second deadliest flood in Europe this century.
Indignation at the management of Spain’s worst natural disaster in living memory started after the initial shock wore off.
The floods had already started filling Paiporta with crushing waves when regional officials issued an alert to mobile phones that sounded two hours too late.
And more anger has been fuelled by the inability of officials to respond quickly in the aftermath.
Most of the clean-up of the layers and layers of mud and debris that has invaded countless homes has been carried out by residents and thousands of volunteers.
Queen Letizia spoke with the young girl, who donned an adorable pink coat, during her visit
King Felipe also greeted the young child who appeared to hand him a piece of paper
King Felipe and Queen Letizia are welcomed by Mayor of Chiva, Amparo Fort
King Felipe VI speaks with a member of the Civil Protection during a visit to the areas affected
Queen Letizia spoke with residents during a visit to the areas affected by the flooding near Valencia
King Felipe VI meets a resident during a visit to the areas affected by the flooding near Valencia
‘We have lost everything!’ someone shouted.
Felipe insisted on trying to speak with people as he continued his visit. He spoke to several people, patting two young men on their backs and sharing a quick embrace, with mud stains on his black raincoat.
According to a journalist for Spanish broadcaster RTVE, one woman wept and told the king she did not have food and nappies, while another person said: ‘Don’t abandon us.’
But after approximately half an hour of tension, the monarch and the rest of the delegation got into official cars and left with a mounted police escort.
One woman smacked an official car with an umbrella, and another kicked it, before it sped off.
The government had accepted the Valencia region leader’s request for 5,000 more troops and informed Sanchez of a further deployment of 5,000 police and civil guards, the premier said.
King Felipe has been heckled and had mud thrown at him by furious local during his visit to Valencia, where more than 200 people died in devastating floods
Queen Letizia could be seen with mud speckled over her face
A crowd of angry survivors tossed mud and shouted insults at King Felipe VI as well as government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns on Sunday
Spain’s Queen Letizia (right) reacts during a visit to Paiporta, eastern Spain, November 3, 2024
Felipe insisted on trying to speak with people as he continued his visit. He spoke to several people, patting two young men on their backs and sharing a quick embrace, with mud stains on his black raincoat
Spain was carrying out its largest deployment of military and security force personnel in peacetime, he added.
Restoring order and distributing aid to destroyed towns and villages – some of which have been cut off from food, water and power since the flood – is a priority.
Authorities have come under fire over the warning systems before the floods, and some stricken residents have complained the response to the disaster is too slow.
‘I am aware the response is not enough, there are problems and severe shortages… towns buried by mud, desperate people searching for their relatives… we have to improve,’ Sanchez said.
In the ground-zero towns of Alfafar and Sedavi, reporters saw no soldiers while residents shovelled mud from their homes and firefighters pumped water from garages and tunnels.
‘Thank you to the people who have come to help us, to all of them, because from the authorities, nothing,’ a furious Estrella Caceres, 66, told AFP in Sedavi.
Authorities in the Valencia region have restricted access to roads for two days to allow emergency services to carry out search, rescue and logistics operations more effectively.
With telephone and transport networks severely damaged, establishing a precise figure of missing people is difficult.
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