Felipe VI and Queen Letizia visited the town along with a central government minister and the regional leader of eastern Valencia, whom many citizens have slammed for bungling the authorities’ response to the flood.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia of Spain were warmly welcomed in the disaster-struck area on Tuesday, as the royals began a tour of areas devastated by last month’s catastrophic flooding.
The Spanish royal couple shook hands with locals in the hilltop town of Chiva, some 30 kilometres to the west of Valencia, the epicentre of the catastrophic flood.
A central government minister also joined along with the regional leader of Valencia, whom many citizens have slammed for bungling the authorities’ response to the flood.
The royals, Spain’s prime minister and the regional leader had attempted to visit a hard-hit neighbourhood of Valencia’s southern outskirts on 3 November, just a few days after the floods.
But they were forced to depart early when angry locals tossed mud and other objects on their arrival in Paiporta.
For half an hour, the royals attempted to speak to several furious residents, withstanding their vitriol, but eventually had to cancel the visit and postpone a subsequent stop for Chiva.
This time, King Felipe and Letizia were warmly received, with some residents taking photos of them.
Chiva was ripped apart by water that overflowed a normally dry gorge on the night of 29 October.
Two of the four bridges spanning the gorge were demolished and several houses were washed away. Three weeks on, the cleanup effort continues.
According to Spanish emergency authorities, a total of 227 people have died from the floods, which destroyed thousands of homes and vehicles.
