Madrid (dpa) – The Spanish royal couple received a warmer reception on Tuesday in the flood-stricken Valencia region compared to two weeks ago, when their visit was met with anger and hostility.
King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were cheered by the locals as they walked through the streets of Chiva in the east of the country.
The area has now been largely cleared of the mud, car wrecks, rubbish and household items that had been strewn across the town by the flood waters.
On November 3, during their previous visit, the royals were pelted with mud and subjected to verbal abuse.
Three weeks after the so-called storm of the century, which killed more than 220 people and caused widespread destruction, Felipe and Letizia talked to some of those affected in Chiva.
They hugged people and shook many hands. Pictures broadcast on Spanish television showed people chanting “Long live the king” and “Long live the queen.”
The devastating floods at the end of October claimed at least 227 lives, according to the latest figures from the central government, with 219 bodies being recovered in the Valencia region alone.
Eight people died in the neighbouring regions of Castilla-La Mancha and Andalusia. Eleven people are still missing. In some towns, as much rain fell in a few hours as would normally fall in a whole year.
The regional government’s sluggish response to the disaster sparked widespread resentment.
On November 9, a little over a week after the disaster, around 130,000 people marched through Valencia, the regional capital, demanding the resignation of regional leader Carlos Mazón.
On Tuesday, Mazón joined the royal couple in Chiva but maintained a notably low profile.
GNA