Horror moment riot cops clash with furious protesters hurling flares in Spain as anger grows over floods that killed 220
THIS is the terrifying moment riots cops battled against furious protesters over the deadly Spanish floods that killed 220.
Tens of thousands of people marched through the streets of Valencia on Saturday as they hurled burning flares, bottles and brooms at the heavily armoured officers.
Demonstrators demanded several top officials – including the regional president of the city – to resign over the torrential flooding as they continue to blast how the catastrophe was dealt with.
Regional leader Carlos Mazn has been heavily scrutinised after his administration took hours to issue any kind of flood warning to citizens.
Hundreds died in the tragic disaster which started on October 29 with many people still missing across eastern Spain.
Over the weekend, droves of passionate marchers called for Mazn to leave his role as they protested outside Valencia’s city hall.
Hundreds came with angry signs reading things such as “Mazn Resign” and “You Killed Us”.
As others spent hours chanting in the streets and even threw mud at the government building in protest.
Shocking footage shows how some of the demonstrations quickly turned violent.
Riot police had lined up outside the city hall building as the evening drew close before hell broke loose with protesters launching a barrage of items at the cops.
At one point a man can be seen wielding a broom high in the air before launching it as many others toss bottles in the direction of the police.
One rioter can even be seen lighting up a bright red flare in the middle of the protest group before sending it flying towards the building.
The aggravated public continued to cause issues throughout the night before the riot cops stepped in.
Wielding police batons and heavy duty face guards and helmets they rushed the violent demonstrators in an effort to push them back.
Many peacefully agreed to move away but a few locals took the chance to vent out their frustrations by attacking the guards.
Dozens begin swinging punches and tossing even more objects at the riot cops with one even attempting to throw a kick.
Despite some people in the crowds turning things violent the majority of the demonstrations were peaceful.
Sara Gurillo took to the streets on Saturday to join the protesters after her brother-in-law died due to the floods.
She said: “Its shameful what has happened. They knew that the sky was going to fall and yet they didn’t warn anyone.
“They didn’t evacuate the people. We want them to resign!
“The central government should have taken charge. They should have sent in the army earlier.
“The people are alone. They have abandoned us.”
Earlier this month, more Spain flood survivors were seen throwing mud at King Felipe.
Fuming residents chanted “murderers!” as the monarch and his wife Queen Letizia walked through the ravaged streets of Paiporta, just outside Valencia.
Spain‘s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez also had to be evacuated from the scene, according to Spanish broadcaster RTVE, as chaos erupted when the official contingent started to walk.
Footage showed people attacking the PM’s car, chasing the black SUV as police sirens were heard in the background.
Over a week on from the devastating floods, nearly 100 people are still officially declared as missing.
Authorities have even been forced to admit that more may be still unaccounted for.
Over 1,200 troops, dozens of specialist sniffer dogs and rescue workers have all been battling against the torrid conditions to try and find any survivors.
The latest piece of tech being used to help recover bodies is a research ship called the Ramón Margalef.
It has been enlisted to undertake the grim task of searching for cars and bodies swept out to sea in the catastrophic floods.
The vessel will be using robot submarine and sonar to scan and map the seabed in the increasingly desperate search for those who were swept away.
It comes as the northeastern region of Catalonia was also hit with flash floods on Friday – in an eerily similar disaster to the ones that struck Valencia.
Agonising scenes saw roads turned into rivers and torrents of debris-filled mud sweeping away cars, people, animals and buildings.
Residents woke up to the fresh destruction with local mayor Pia Serinyana confirming over 30 cars had been washed away by flooding.
A nearby river had burst its banks, just as many had some 10 days ago in and around Valencia.
There were no human casualties reported, although one local resident expressed their fears in a post on X writing: “The situation is very serious in Cadaques.”