Spanish rescuers delved into flooded garages on Monday in search of bodies, a day after enraged crowds jeered and pelted mud at the king and prime minister following catastrophic floods. The death toll stands at 217, nearly all in the eastern Valencia region, and Spain fears the discovery of more bodies in its worst disaster of this kind in decades. The national weather service, AEMET, declared the end of the emergency for Valencia but placed part of northeastern Catalonia on the highest red alert for heavy rain on Monday. Catalan trains were suspended indefinitely, announced Transport Minister Oscar Puente on X, while flights were delayed and diverted at Barcelona's El Prat airport.
The nation is grappling with the aftermath of an unprecedented surge of public anger directed at King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia, and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. The Civil Guard has launched an investigation into the chaos in the epicenter town of Paiporta that abruptly ended their visit on Sunday, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska informed public broadcaster TVE. He attributed the violence to "marginal groups" who instigated the unrest, resulting in mud splattering the monarchs' faces and clothes and shattering a window of Sanchez's car. Organizing the visit was deemed "a collective mistake" as fringe groups exploited raw emotions to endanger the royals, Sanchez, and Valencia region leader Carlos Mazon, Puente revealed on television channel La Sexta on Sunday.
The incident highlighted growing frustration with the authorities' preparation for and response to the catastrophe. Experts have criticized the warning systems that failed to alert the population in time and the sluggishness of the response. Thousands of soldiers, police officers, civil guards, and firefighters spent a sixth day distributing aid and clearing mud and debris to locate bodies. However, relief efforts only reached some towns days after the disaster, and in many cases, volunteers were the first to provide food, water, sanitation, and cleaning equipment. "We shouldn't romanticize it: the people saved the people because we were abandoned," said Jorge, a resident of the town of Chiva where the royals canceled their visit on Sunday. The applause should be for the volunteers, not "those who come just to take a picture and show off," the 25-year-old told AFP.
On Monday, divers focused their search for missing bodies in garages and a multi-story car park in the town of Aldaia capable of holding thousands of vehicles. The storm trapped many victims in their vehicles on roads and in underground spaces such as car parks, tunnels, and garages where rescue operations are particularly challenging. Local authorities extended travel restrictions for another two days to facilitate the work of emergency services, canceled classes in Valencia, and urged citizens to work from home. Storms originating from the Mediterranean are common for the season. However, scientists have warned that human-induced climate change is intensifying the ferocity, duration, and frequency of extreme weather events. "Politicians haven't acted on climate change, and now we're paying the consequences of their inaction," environmental activist Emi, 21, told AFP in Chiva.
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