Valencia, Spain

Tens of thousands of people in the Spanish city of Valencia launched a protest on Saturday (Nov 9) over the regional authorities' handling of the devastating floods. The death toll due to the floods in Spain has climbed to more than 200 and nearly 80 people are still missing.

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A report by the news agency Reuters on Sunday said that protesters filled the centre of Valencia demanding the resignation of regional government leader Carlos Mazon.

Also read | Scary images show parts of Spain appear like inland sea from space following deadly floods

"Our hands are stained with mud, yours with blood," read one banner. Some demonstrators dumped dirty boots outside the government building while others plastered it with mud, Reuters reported. 

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Residents in stricken areas accuse Mazon of issuing an alert too late, at 8 pm local time on October 29, well after water was already pouring into many nearby towns and villages.

Demonstration was largely peaceful

Though Saturday's protest was largely peaceful, police charged stone-throwing protesters at one point and objects hurled at the city council building caused minor damage.

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A leader of the conservative Popular Party, Mazon has defended his handling of the crisis.

Mazon said he would have issued an alarm earlier if authorities had been notified of the seriousness of the situation by an official water monitoring body.

Also watch | WION Climate Tracker: Spain recovers from deadliest floods in modern history

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He was with Spain’s royals and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez when they were pelted with mud by enraged residents during their first visit to a devastated area last weekend, a report by the news agency Associated Press said. 

PM Sanchez announces aid to help victims

On Tuesday (Nov 5), Prime Minister Sanchez announced an aid of $11.6 billion to help the victims of the floods. Sanchez said that the aid would include millions in direct cash to small businesses and freelance workers affected by the disaster. 

The national government will finance 100 per cent of the clean-up costs incurred by local governments and half of the repairs to infrastructure, he added. 

(With inputs from agencies)