Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Valencia on Saturday, demanding the resignation of regional president Carlos Mazón following deadly floods that claimed over 200 lives.
Spanish media, including the EFE news agency, reported that roughly 130,000 people participated in the protest, chanting slogans such as “We are covered in mud, you are stained with blood.” Protesters accused local authorities of responding too slowly to the catastrophic floods that struck Valencia and surrounding provinces in October.
The heavy rains, which hit the region in mid-October, caused severe flooding, leaving at least 200 dead, with another 80 people still missing. Protesters blamed delayed flood warnings for exacerbating the crisis.
Regional governments in Spain, including Valencia, are responsible for disaster response and can request additional help from the central government. Despite storm warnings issued by Spain’s weather agency on October 25, local authorities did not send mobile phone alerts to residents until several hours after the floods began.
The local councilor in charge of emergency services later admitted to being unaware of a phone alert system.
