Spain flood survivors hurl mud at the royals and top government officials

PAIPORTA, Spain (AP) — A crowd of enraged survivors hurled clots of mud left by storm-spawned flooding at the Spanish royal couple on Sunday during their first visit to the epicenter of their nation's deadliest natural disaster in living memory.

Spain's national broadcaster reported that the barrage included a few rocks and other objects and that two bodyguards were treated for injuries. One could be seen with a bloody wound on his forehead.

It was an unprecedented incident for a royal house that carefully crafts the image of monarchs adored by their country of more than 48 million people.

Spanish fury has been unleashed against a state that appears overwhelmed and unable to meet the needs of people used to living under an effective government.

Officials also rushed Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from the scene soon after his contingent started to walk the mud-covered streets of one of the hardest-hit areas, where over 60 people perished and thousands of lives were shattered. The disaster fueled by climate change killed at least 205 people in eastern Spain.

“Get out! Get out!” and “Killers!” the crowd in the town of Paiporta shouted, among other insults. Bodyguards opened umbrellas to protect the royals and other officials from the tossed muck.

Police had to step in, some officers on horseback, to keep back the crowd of several dozen, some wielding shovels and poles.

Queen Letizia broke into tears sympathetically after speaking to several people, including one woman who wept in her arms. Later, one of the queen's bodyguards had a bloody wound on his forehead and there was a hole in the back window of the prime minister's official car.

But even after being forced to seek protection, King Felipe VI, with flecks of mud on his face, remained calm and made several efforts to speak to individual residents. He insisted on trying to speak with people as he tried to continue his visit. He spoke to several people, patting two young men on their backs and sharing a quick embrace, with mud stains on his black raincoat.

Still, one woman smacked an official car with an umbrella and another kicked it before it sped off.

While far from awakening the passion that the British hold for their royals, Felipe and Letizia’s public events are usually greeted by crowds of fans.

The 56-year-old Felipe took the throne when his father, Juan Carlos, abdicated in 2014 after he was tarnished by self-made financial and personal scandals. Felipe immediately cut a new figure, renouncing his personal inheritance and increasing the financial transparency of his royal house. He and the 52-year-old Letizia, a former journalist, dedicate a significant part of their public agenda to cultural and scientific causes.

Visits to sites of national tragedies are also part of the royal duties for monarchs seen as a stabilizing force in a parliamentary monarchy restored following the death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

But the public rage over the haphazard management of the crisis has been building. Felipe heard some jeers when he took part in a tribute to the dead of a deadly 2017 terror attack in Barcelona, but that was nothing comparable to Sunday's reception.

The queen had small glops of mud on her hands and arms as she spoke to women.

“We don´t have any water,” one woman told her.

Many people still don’t have drinking water five days after the floods struck. Internet and mobile phone coverage remains patchy. Most people only got power back on Saturday. Stores and supermarkets are in ruins and Paiporta, population 30,000, still has many city blocks completely clogged with piles of detritus, countless totaled cars and a ubiquitous layer of mud.

Thousands have had their homes destroyed by a tsunami-like wave of muck and indignation at mismanagement of the disaster has begun.

The floods had already hit Paiporta when the regional officials issued an alert to mobile phones. It sounded two hours too late.

More anger has been fueled by the inability of officials to respond quickly to the aftermath. Most of the cleanup of the layers and layers of mud and debris that has invaded countless homes has been done by residents and thousands of volunteers.

“We have lost everything!” someone shouted.

Shouts Sunday included demands aimed at regional Valencia President Carlo Mazón, whose administration is in charge of civil protection, to step down, as well as “Where is Pedro Sánchez?”

“I understand the indignation and of course I stayed to receive it,” Mazón said on X. “It was my moral and political obligation. The attitude of the king this morning was exemplary.”

Spanish national broadcaster RTVE reported that the barrage aimed at the royals included a few rocks and other hard objects were tossed and that two bodyguards were treated for injuries, and the monarchs and officials called off another stop Sunday at a second hard-hit village, Chiva, about half an hour to the east of Valencia city.

Sánchez said that recovery efforts won't be derailed by the incident.

“I want to express all my government’s solidarity and its acknowledgement of the anguish, suffering, uncertainty and the needs of the residents of Paiporta and the region of Valencia,” Sánchez said, while adding that he believes the majority of people “reject the types of violence that unfortunately we saw today.”

The mud-slinging scene occurred as thousands more Spanish soldiers, national police officers, and Civil Guard gendarmes arrived, or are set to arrive, at the disaster sites.

Wilson reported from Valencia, Spain.

Spain's King Felipe VI, right, reacts next to the President of the Valencian government Carlos Mazon in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024 after a crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at the King and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Ana Escobar/EFE via AP)

Spain's King Felipe VI, centre, walks amidst angry Spanish flood survivors in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Melero)

Spain's King Felipe VI walks amidst angry Spanish flood survivors in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Melero)

People react as Spain's King Felipe VI speaks with people amidst angry Spanish flood survivors in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Melero)

Spain's Queen Letizia reacts as she visits people affected by the floods in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Melero)

Spain's King Felipe VI, centre, speaks with protesters in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Biel Alino/EFE via AP)

Spain's Queen Letizia reacts as she conforts a woman affected by the floods in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Ana Escobar/EFE via AP)

Spain's King Felipe VI speaks with people amidst angry Spanish flood survivors in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Melero)

Spain's King Felipe VI speaks with people amidst angry Spanish flood survivors in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Melero)

Spain's King Felipe VI speaks with people amidst angry Spanish flood survivors in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Melero)

Spain's Queen Letizia, left, conforts a woman affected by the floods in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Ana Escobar/EFE via AP)

Spain's King Felipe VI speaks with people amidst angry Spanish flood survivors in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/David Melero)

People clean mud from a house affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

People walk through an area affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spain's King Felipe VI, centre, leaves the scene after crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at the King and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. after floods in Paiporta near Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Hugo Torres)

Spain's King Felipe VI, centre right, speaks with protesters in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Biel Alino/EFE via AP)

Spain's King Felipe VI, centre, leaves the scene after crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at the King and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. after floods in Paiporta near Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Hugo Torres)

Spain's King Felipe VI, centre, speaks with protesters in Paiporta, near valencia, Spain, A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Biel Alino/EFE via AP)

Spain's King Felipe VI, centre, speaks with protesters in Paiporta, near valencia, Spain, A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Biel Alino/EFE via AP)

Spain's Queen Letizia speaks with people affected by the floods after crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods tossed mud and shouted insults at the Spain's King Felipe and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. after floods in Paiporta near Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Hugo Torres)

Spain's Queen Letizia speaks with people affected by the floods in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Ana Escobar/EFE via AP)

Spain's Queen Letizia speaks with people affected by the floods in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, Sunday Nov. 3, 2024. A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Ana Escobar/EFE via AP)

Spain's King Felipe VI, right, speaks with protesters in Paiporta, near Valencia, Spain, A crowd of angry survivors of Spain's floods have tossed mud and shouted insults at Spain's King Felipe VI and government officials when they made their first visit to one of the hardest hit towns. (Ana Escobar/EFE via AP)

A woman cleans religious items in the Basilica of Saint James the Apostle, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A woman reacts in an area affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

People clean mud from a street affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

People clean mud from a street affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A blanket covered in mud is pictured in an area affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Spanish soldiers walk in front of the Basilica of Saint James the Apostle in an area affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Items covered in mud are pictured in an area affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A doll covered in mud is pictured in an area affected by floods, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A religious image and various personal belongings covered by mud are pictured inside a suitcase, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Religious garments are laid out to dry by the altar of the Basilica of Saint James the Apostle, in Algemesi, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

A rescue dog looks for victims after floods in Paiporta near Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Hugo Torres)

A rescue worker checks a car after floods in Paiporta near Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Hugo Torres)

Rescue workers pass a destroyed half buried car after floods in Paiporta near Valencia, Spain, Sunday, Nov. 3, 2024. (AP Photo/Hugo Torres)

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) — Public health officials in Africa urged caution Thursday as Congo’s health minister said the government was on alert over a mystery flu-like disease that in recent weeks killed dozens of people.

Jean Kaseya, the head of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters that more details about the disease should be known in the next 48 hours as experts receive results from laboratory samples of infected people.

“First diagnostics are leading us to think it is a respiratory disease,” Kaseya said. “But we need to wait for the laboratory results.”

"There are so many things we don't know” about the disease — including whether it is infectious and how it is transmitted, Kaseya added.

Authorities in Congo have so far confirmed 71 deaths, including 27 people who died in hospitals and 44 in the community in the southern Kwango province, health minister Roger Kamba said.

“The Congolese government is on general alert regarding this disease," Kamba said, without providing more details.

Of the victims at the hospitals, 10 died due to lack of blood transfusion and 17 as a result of respiratory problems, he said.

The deaths were recorded between Nov. 10 and Nov. 25 in the Panzi health zone of Kwango province. There were around 380 cases, almost half of which were children under the age of five, according to the minister.

The Africa CDC recorded slightly different numbers, with 376 cases and 79 deaths. The discrepancy was caused by problems with surveillance and case definition, Kaseya said.

Authorities have said that symptoms include fever, headache, cough and anemia. Epidemiological experts are in the region to take samples and investigate the disease, the minister said.

The Panzi health zone, located around 435 miles (700 kilometers), from the capital Kinshasa, is a remote area of the Kwango province, making it hard to access.

The epidemiological experts took two days to arrive there, the minister said. Because of the lack of testing capacity, samples had to be taken to Kikwit, more than 500 km away, said Dieudonne Mwamba, the head of the National Institute for Public Health.

“The health system is quite weak in our rural areas, but for certain types of care, the ministry has all the provisions, and we are waiting for the first results of the sample analysis to properly calibrate things,” Kaseya said.

Mwamba said that Panzi was already a “fragile” zone, with 40% of its residents experiencing malnutrition. It was also hit by an epidemic of typhoid fever two years ago, and there is currently a resurgence of seasonal flu across the country.

“We need to take into account all this as context," Mwamba said.

A Panzi resident, Claude Niongo, said his wife and seven-year-old daughter died from the disease.

“We do not know the cause but I only noticed high fevers, vomiting... and then death,” Niongo told The Associated Press over the phone. "Now, the authorities are talking to us about an epidemic but in the meantime, there is a problem of care (and) people are dying,” he added.

Lucien Lufutu, president of the civil society consultation framework of Kwango province, who is in Panzi, said the local hospital where patients are treated is underequipped.

“There is a lack of medicines and medical supplies, since the disease is not yet known, most of the population is treated by traditional practitioners,” Lufutu told the AP.

He also said the disease affected Katenda, another nearby health zone.

When asked about a potential outbreak in other health zones, the minister said he could not tell if that was the case but that nothing was reported.

Congo is already plagued by the mpox epidemic, with more than 47,000 suspected cases and over 1,000 suspected deaths from the disease in the Central African country, according to the World Health Organization.

Congo's Health Minister Roger Kamba speaks, during a press conference, in Congo, Kinshasa, Thursday, Nov 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Congo's health minister Roger Kamba attends a press conference in Kinshasa, Congo, Thursday, Dec. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)

Congo's Health Minister Roger Kamba speaks, during a press conference, in Congo, Kinshasa, Thursday, Nov 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Samy Ntumba Shambuyi)