Tens of thousands of people marched in the southeastern Spanish city of Valencia on Saturday for the authorities’ handling of devastating floods.

More than 220 people were killed in the floods, which were Europe’s deadliest in decades.

A small group of protesters clashed with police outside Valencia’s city hall towards the end of the march, and police used batons to beat them back.

What do we know about the protest in Valencia?

According to regional authorities, around 130,000 people participated in the protest in Valencia. Demonstrations were also organized in other Spanish cities.

Protesters have called for the resignation of Valencia regional government leader Carlos Mazon, who belongs to the conservative opposition Popular Party, and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of the ruling Socialists.

Some protesters shouted “murderers” and accused the leaders of being responsible for the high death toll.

The protest comes days after residents of Valencia chanted “murderer” and threw mud at Mazon and Spain’s King Felipe VI.

Residents in the affected areas accused Mazon of issuing the alert too late, after the floods had already started.

After days of storm warnings from the national weather service starting October 25, some municipalities and organizations raised the alarm before the regional government. The University of Valencia told its staff on October 28 not to come to work, and several town halls in the region told people to go home.

What else do we know about the floods in Spain?

Of the 220 deaths confirmed so far, 212 of them were killed in the Valencia region. The remaining 8 were killed in the neighboring regions of Castile-La Mancha and Andalusia.

Nearly 80 people are still missing after the flood and the search for remains is ongoing.

The regional health board has not reported any outbreaks of infectious diseases or a major threat to public health.

The floods are the deadliest in Europe since floods in Portugal killed around 500 people in 1967.

sdi/lo (AP, AFP, Reuters)