Tens of thousands march in Spain to protest handling of flood disaster
Tens of thousands of people marched in cities across Spain on Saturday to express their anger over the authorities' handling of flooding that has killed at least 220 people and left cities swamped with mud. Clean-up operations in the worst-hit region of Valencia – and search for the bodies of dozens of missing people – are still ongoing.
Tens of thousands of people marched Saturday in Valencia and other Spanish cities to voice their anger at the authorities' handling of deadly floods.
In Valencia, some protesters shouted "Murderers! Murderers!" and some carried placards denouncing Valencia's regional president as well as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The region was the worst hit by last months' floods, the most serious in decades, which killed at least 220 people and left towns and cities swamped with mud.
Local people are furious about the lack of warnings.
Some have pointed out that the official alerts for the floods landed on people's phones when cars were already being washed away.
There is anger too over what critics say was the slow response of the authorities in the aftermath of the deadly flash floods that affected around 80 towns and cities in the region.
As the march in Valencia headed to the city's regional headquarters, some protesters had harsh words for regional president Carlos Mazon.
Police and protesters faced off in a tense atmosphere, with some scuffles breaking out.
"They got mixed up in political guerilla warfare when it wasn't the time," she said.
Read more on FRANCE 24 English
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