The president of Spain's Valencia region, Carlos Mazón, has resigned after months of pressure over his handling of flash floods last year. A total of 229 people died in towns in the Valencia region on 29 October 2024, with a further eight dying in neighbouring regions, in Spain's worst natural disaster for decades. Many in Valencia blamed Mazón for the scale of the tragedy because of how he and his government responded that day.
It emerged that the regional president had spent nearly four hours in a restaurant with a journalist, Maribel Vilaplana, while the floodwater was wreaking havoc and he did not attend emergency meetings during much of the day. Mazón's government also failed to issue an emergency alert to the phones of Valencia residents warning them of the floods until after 20:00, by which time dozens of people had already died.
I can't go on anymore... I know that I made mistakes, I acknowledge it and I will live with them for the rest of my life, Mazón said as he announced his decision. He added that he should have cancelled his schedule to address the crisis directly. Polls had shown that the vast majority of the public wanted his resignation due to poor disaster management, leading to monthly protests demanding his stepping down. His insistence on attending a memorial service for victims recently angered many affected families.
Mazón’s departure comes as the journalist he lunched with on the day of the floods testified in a negligence inquiry. His announcement also criticized the national government for blocking regional aid. The future of his party’s leadership in Valencia now hangs in the balance as internal dynamics shift in response to his resignation.
It emerged that the regional president had spent nearly four hours in a restaurant with a journalist, Maribel Vilaplana, while the floodwater was wreaking havoc and he did not attend emergency meetings during much of the day. Mazón's government also failed to issue an emergency alert to the phones of Valencia residents warning them of the floods until after 20:00, by which time dozens of people had already died.
I can't go on anymore... I know that I made mistakes, I acknowledge it and I will live with them for the rest of my life, Mazón said as he announced his decision. He added that he should have cancelled his schedule to address the crisis directly. Polls had shown that the vast majority of the public wanted his resignation due to poor disaster management, leading to monthly protests demanding his stepping down. His insistence on attending a memorial service for victims recently angered many affected families.
Mazón’s departure comes as the journalist he lunched with on the day of the floods testified in a negligence inquiry. His announcement also criticized the national government for blocking regional aid. The future of his party’s leadership in Valencia now hangs in the balance as internal dynamics shift in response to his resignation.
