“Murderer, coward” shouted thousands of citizens in Spainat the expense of the president of Valencia, Carlos Mathon, the region where more than 200 people mourned last year, after the murders floods caused by bad weather Dana.
The memorial service for the more than 230 people who died a year ago in the floods in Spain began with insults to its president ValenciaCarlos Mathon, a person the families of the victims did not want to see and whose resignation they are calling for.
These events, which began at 6pm local time in Valencia, the country’s third largest city, were supposed to be held in a low-key manner, but the anger of many residents appears to have not faded a year on.
Many questions remain about the disastrous handling of the tragedy by the government of the region of Valencia (south-east) and especially by its president Carlos Mathon, whose resignation has been called for by residents of the affected areas in vain.
Despite pleas from the victims’ families not to attend, Mathon insisted on appearing at the memorial service, but did not risk greeting relatives, unlike King Felipe, Queen Letitia and Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
“Old man, what a coward you are, a dirty coward, a murderer, you’re mocking us by coming here,” one woman shouted, while another added “we don’t want you here” just before the memorial service began.
In brief talks with victims’ representatives, the king noted: “It is a day of remembrance, but for you, you remember every day of this year.”
The mayors of 78 communities in the southern region of Valencia, which were overwhelmed that day by torrents of mud, as well as 800 relatives of the 237 victims, were also present. Almost all the deaths (229) were recorded in the province of Valencia, while another eight people died in other regions.
As he entered the great hall where the ceremony was held, the king, with his hand on his heart, was applauded by the crowd, just seconds after insulting the district president.
Carlos Mathon this morning vaguely expressed his regret, but did not admit any wrongdoing.
“We tried to do our best in an incredible situation, but in many cases it was not enough and today, we have to admit it again,” he said, acknowledging the “desperation” of the residents on October 29, 2024.
The authorities of this region declared a day of mourning in memory of the missing.
“A very difficult day”
In Paiporta, the martyred city of 27,000 inhabitants where 56 people lost their lives, mourning will last three days. A vigil during which a three-minute silence will be observed is planned for tonight.
On one of the main streets, a pharmacist placed a row of red and white candles on the ground in front of her shop to pay tribute to the victims.
“I don’t believe that the wound will be closed one day,” pharmacist Carmen Roussel, 61, told AFP with tears in her eyes.
Sadness prevails in every corner of the city. “Today is going to be a very difficult day for the whole world because it’s very hard to relive” what happened, said Martha Fernandez, a 68-year-old retiree.
No one in these areas forgets these images of horror, those with the mudflows that washed away everything in their path, trapped residents in their cars, in an underground parking lot or surprised them in their homes, which could not withstand the rush of water.
More than 130,000 vehicles were swept away by the muddy waters, in many cases ending up piled on top of each other in huge piles. Thousands of homes were destroyed.
This tsunami of water and mud swept everything away, causing a total of 800,000 tons of debris.
Last week, a man’s body was found 30 kilometers from the area where he had gone missing. Two people remain missing.