Royals face brunt of Spain's anger at officials over floods

Spain’s prime minister was the real target of protesters who hurled clots of mud at the Spanish king and queen when they visited the centre of the nation’s deadliest natural disaster in living memory, a royal expert has said.

- GRAHAM KEELEY

King Felipe VI was pelted with mud and two bodyguards of Queen Letizia had to be treated for injuries after being hit with objects during the tense visit to Valencia on Sunday.

The images shocked Spain where the royal household has sought to restore the reputation of an institution which suffered from a series of financial scandals during the reign of former king Juan Carlos, who abdicated in 2014. Felipe travelled to the area under tight secrecy with his prime minister Pedro Sanchez and Valencian regional leader Carlos Mazon.

The fury exploded in the suburb of Paiporta, where at least 60 people have died in the flooding. The current death toll from Spain’s disaster stands at 217 but authorities have said this is likely to rise.

The national and regional governments have been accused of failing to warn people properly of the lethal flood last Tuesday, and then not responding quickly enough to help people who have lost everything. Valencians still hunting for missing relatives say the stench of the dead permeates the worst-hit areas but claim authorities are still nowhere to be seen.