"Tens of thousands of people on Saturday protested in the eastern Spanish city of Valencia, one year after the floods that killed 229 people. Demonstrators were demanding the resignation of regional leader Carlos Mazon over his handling of the disaster. They displayed banners with messages such as "Mazon to prison" and chanted, "They didn't die, they were murdered." With a total of 229 deaths, it was Europe's worst flood-related disaster since 1967."
"Mazon's administration has been heavily criticized for issuing an alert too late. The warning arrived more than 12 hours after the national weather agency had issued its highest alert level for torrential rains. Residents told Spanish media that muddy water was already surrounding their cars, flooding streets and pouring into their homes by the time they received the messages. Under Spain's decentralized system, managing disasters falls under the authority of regional governments."
"However, Mazon claimed that his administration lacked the necessary information to issue a warning sooner and said that the magnitude was unforeseeable. Over 50,000 people took part in the protest, according to the central government's office in Valencia. A judicial investigation into the emergency response is underway. On the day of the floods, Mazon had an hour-long lunch with a local journalist who had been summoned by the court on Thursday."
Tens of thousands protested in Valencia one year after floods that killed 229 people. Demonstrators demanded the resignation of regional leader Carlos Mazon and displayed banners reading "Mazon to prison" while chanting that victims were murdered. The floods caused 229 deaths, making them Europe's worst flood-related disaster since 1967. Criticism targeted a delayed alert that arrived more than 12 hours after the national weather agency's highest warning. Residents reported receiving warnings only after streets and homes were already flooded. Regional authorities oversee disaster management, Mazon said information was lacking, and a judicial investigation is underway.
Read at www.dw.com
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