"Carlos Mazon, the embattled president of the eastern Spanish region of Valencia, has bowed to public fury and political pressure by resigning over his botched handling of the deadly floods that killed 229 people in the area just over a year ago. Mazon, a member of the conservative People's party (PP), had hung on despite calls for him to stand down after it emerged that he spent more than three hours having lunch with a journalist as the floods hit and people were drowning in their homes, garages and cars."
"Mazon had previously insisted there was no government in the world that has the tools to alter, stop or avoid an episode of torrential rains that end up pummelling historical rainfall records in a given area at a given time. Valencians holding Mazon masks during a demonstration last week in memory of the 229 people who died during the floods last year. Photograph: Eva Manez/Reuters He had also said he kept up to date with the developing situation by phone while having lunch with the journalist, Maribel Vilaplana."
Carlos Mazon resigned as president of Valencia after intense public fury and political pressure over his handling of deadly floods. The floods killed 229 people just over a year earlier. Mazon spent more than three hours having lunch with a journalist as the floods hit while people drowned in homes, garages, and cars. Emergency alerts to mobile phones were not sent until after 8pm on the day of the floods. Massive demonstrations used slogans such as "Mud on our hands, blood on his." A congressional inquiry and a judicial investigation into the events are under way.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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