Valencia’s leader, Carlos Mazon, admitted mistakes that were made during floods but blamed two government agencies for failing to provide immediate warnings.
As per the BBC, the leader stated, “I’m not going to deny mistakes… we did the best we could in the situation we were in, with the information available and with the resource we had, which was clearly not enough.”
Around 220 people had lost their lives since October 29, as the deadly flood hits Spain, with most of the deaths reported from Mazon’s eastern coastal region.
The conservative leader refused to pick calls for his resignation during his first appearance before the regional parliament since flood hits.
Additionally, no alert was sent to residents until 20:11 on Tuesday, by which time the floods had already reached the V31 highway in the city.
Talking about this topic on Friday, Mazon defended his handling of disaster, explaining that the text system had never been used before.
In addition to this, Mazon also faced criticism for spending most of his time with the journalist instead of focusing on Valencia’s response to the rising crisis.
Amid tense scenes, a police helicopter circled above dozens of protestors, gathered outside the building where Mazon was speaking, shouting calls for his resignation.
“Our hands are stained with mud. Theirs are stained with blood,” one play card read.
It is pertinent to note that flood debris is blocking drains in Paiporta, causing many residents difficulties to use their toilets.
