Mud thrown as Spain's king visits flood-hit town

Hundreds of people heckled Spain's King Felipe and Queen Letizia, as well as the prime minister and the regional leader of Valencia yesterday - throwing mud and shouting "murderers" - as the group attempted an official visit to one of the municipalities hardest hit by the deadly floods.

- Ashifa Kassam

The scenes playing out in Paiporta laid bare the mounting sense of abandonment among the devastated areas and the lingering anger over why an alert urging residents not to leave home on Tuesday was sent after the flood waters began surging.

Much of the fury appeared to be directed at the elected officials, as calls rang out for the resignation of Pedro Sánchez, the country's prime minister, and Carlos Mazón, Valencia's regional leader.

Sánchez was swiftly evacuated as bodyguards used umbrellas to protect the group from the barrage of mud. "What were they expecting?" one furious local asked the newspaper El País. "People are very angry. Pedro Sánchez should have been here on day one with a shovel."

The king insisted on continuing the visit, at one point meeting a man who wept on his shoulder. He was also confronted by a young man who told him: "You've abandoned us," asking why residents had been left on their own to grapple with the aftermath of the deadly floods. "You're four days too late," he told the king.