Spain fears more flood deaths as more rain expected
Spanish rescue teams continued their search on Monday, scouring inundated garages for victims following catastrophic floods that have claimed 217 lives, primarily in the eastern Valencia region.
National weather service AEMET announced the end of the emergency for Valencia but placed part of the northeastern Catalonia region on the highest red alert for torrential rain on Monday, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.Catalan trains were suspended until further notice, Transport Minister Oscar Puente announced on X, while flights were delayed and diverted at Barcelona's El Prat airport.
The country grappled with the aftermath of an extraordinary outburst of popular anger directed at King Felipe VI, Queen Letizia and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The Civil Guard has opened an investigation into the chaos in the ground-zero town of Paiporta that cut short their visit on Sunday, Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told public broadcaster TVE.
He blamed "marginal groups" for instigating the violence where mud spattered the monarchs' face and clothes and broke a window of Sanchez's car.
Organising the visit was "a collective mistake" as fringe groups hijacked raw emotions to endanger the royals, Sanchez and Valencia region leader Carlos Mazon, Puente told television channel La Sexta on Sunday.
The incident underscored growing anger at the authorities' preparation for and response to the catastrophe.
Experts have questioned the warning systems that failed to alert the population in time and the speed of the response.
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