A queen in tears and a king in the mud: Spanish flood survivors label King Felipe and Letizia as ‘murderers’ during their visit to Valencia

King Felipe and Queen Letizia were harassed by angry locals after deadly floods in Valencia – demonstrators threw mud at the royal couple as shouts of ‘murderers’ were heard from the crowd

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Insults, mud and missiles were hurled at King Felipe Queen Letizia of Spain as the royal couple were confronted by survivors of Valencia’s deadly floods. The natural disaster, labeled one of the deadliest in modern Spanish history, devastated the local area, with the death toll currently standing at 217.

Hundreds of survivors surrounded the king and queen as they walked through the devastated streets of Paiporta, one of the towns hardest hit by the catastrophe. Locals threw mud at the couple, splashing Queen Letizia’s face, and one missile appears to have injured a royal bodyguard, who was seen with blood dripping down his face. The cries of ‘murderers’ could be heard from the rooftops and in the streets.

At least two bodyguards were reportedly injured during the protests

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These unprecedented scenes are testament to the anger and sadness felt by Valencians in the aftermath of last week’s flash floods. Locals are angry that authorities warned them too late of the danger and only issued evacuation warnings after flood waters had already started to rise. There is also a strong feeling of abandonment by the state, according to one resident The times: ‘The king and everyone came very clean (…) to look good in front of the city and cameras, but this doesn’t help us at all. He should come here and get rid of the mud and the dead that are in garages. And then he will be one of us.’