Flood survivors pelted the King and Queen of Spain with mud and forced the evacuation of the Prime Minister during a visit

VALENCIA, Spain — Spain’s King Felipe VI and senior government officials were pelted with mud by a crowd of angry flood survivors during the country’s leaders’ first visit to the flood epicenter on Sunday. deadliest natural disaster in the country in living memory.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was evacuated from the scene as officials began walking through the muddy streets of Paiporta, one of the worst-hit areas where more than 60 people were killed and thousands of lives were ruined, according to Spanish broadcaster RTVE.

Police had to intervene with several officers on horseback to control a crowd of several dozen people who were throwing dirt and threateningly waving shovels and poles.

“Get out! Get out!” and “Murderers!” the crowd shouted among other insults. Bodyguards opened umbrellas to protect royals and officials from the flow of mud.

Forced to seek protection, the king, with dirt stains on his face, remained calm and made several attempts to talk to individual residents. One person appeared to be crying on his shoulder. He shook the man’s hand.

“They knew it, they knew it, but they did nothing,” one young man shouted at the king, wagging his finger in his face.

One young woman hit a bodyguard with a long pole.

It was an unprecedented incident for the royal house, which places great emphasis on creating an image of a monarch beloved by the nation. But public anger over the haphazard management of the crisis reached a boiling point on Sunday.

The contingent also included Queen Letizia and Valencia regional president Carlo Mason. The queen had small balls of dirt on her hands and arms as she spoke to the women. Reuters reported that the queen was among those slandered.

“We have no water,” one woman told the queen.

Many people still do not have drinking water five days after the flood. Internet and mobile coverage remains patchy. Most people didn’t get their electricity back until Saturday. The area’s shops and supermarkets are in ruins.

Paiport, with a population of 30,000, still has many city blocks completely clogged with piles of rubbish, countless wrecked cars and an ever-present layer of dirt.

Tuesday’s flooding killed more than 200 people and destroyed thousands of homes in a tsunami-like wave.

The management’s outrage over the disaster began after the initial shock wore off.

Floods had already hit Paiportu when regional authorities alerted mobile phones. This came two hours later.

Further anger is fueled by officials’ failure to respond quickly to the fallout. Much of the cleanup of layers of dirt and debris that filled countless homes was done by residents and thousands of volunteers.

“We’ve lost everything!” – someone shouted.

The cries included demands for Mason, whose administration is responsible for civil protection, and “Where is Pedro Sanchez?”

Felipe, who is head of state under Spain’s parliamentary monarchical form of government, insisted on trying to talk to people as he tried to continue his visit. He spoke to a few people, patted the two young men on the back and gave them a quick hug, with dirt stains on his black cloak.

According to a journalist from Spanish broadcaster RTVE who was with Felipe, one woman cried and told him she had no food or diapers, while another person said: “Don’t leave us.”

But after about half an hour of tension, the monarchs got into their official cars and drove off, accompanied by mounted police.

One woman hit the company car with an umbrella and another kicked it before it sped away.

Wilson writes for the Associated Press.