Thousands of Spaniards took to the streets of Valence calling for the resignation of the city leader after devastating floods killed hundreds of citizens.

Protesters carrying signs reading “You killed us!” » marched towards Valencia town hall where they were greeted by riot police and beaten back with batons.

At least 219 people were killed after flash floods ravaged the eastern Spanish city, leaving people trapped in homes, vehicles and businesses.

Valencian President Carlos Mazón is now under enormous pressure to resign after his government only issued flood warnings hours after they were issued on October 29.

Many protesters held homemade signs that read: “You killed us!” while others loudly chanted “Mazón resign!”

The crowd, gathered in the Plaza del Ayuntamiento in downtown Valencia, also held banners reading: “Where were you then when I needed you so much? and “Your incompetence is costing lives.”

Thousands of volunteers were the first to hit the ground in many of the hardest-hit areas of Valencia’s southern suburbs.

It took days for authorities to mobilize the thousands of police and soldier reinforcements that the regional government had asked central authorities to send.

Mr. Mazón defended his handling of the crisis and said its scale was unpredictable and that his administration had not received enough warning from central authorities.

But Spain’s weather agency issued a red alert, the highest alert level, for bad weather from 7:30 a.m., as disaster loomed.

Some communities were flooded around 6 p.m. It took until 8 p.m. for Mr. Mazón’s government to send alerts to cell phones.

Last week, Mr Mazón was sprayed with mud by angry residents during a visit to the flood-hit town of Paiporta.

Mr. Mazón was accompanied by Spanish King Felipe and Queen Letizia, as well as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.

Crowds of furious Valencians shouted “murderers” and other insults at the royal family as well as government officials during the visit.

The police had to intervene, with a few mounted police officers, to hold back the crowd of several dozen people who were throwing mud and brandishing shovels and poles in the air in a threatening manner.