The King and Queen of Spain were thrown mud into flood waters in Valencia

Spain’s King and Queen were pelted with mud and other objects by angry protesters during a visit to flood-hit Valencia.

Shouts of “murderer” and “shame” were directed at the royal couple, Spain’s prime minister and other leaders as they passed through the town of Paiporta – one of the worst affected heaviest in the area.

With mud on their faces and clothes, King Felipe and Queen Letizia were later seen comforting people in the crowd.

More than 200 people died in Spain’s worst floods in decades. Rescue workers are continuing to search parking lots and underground tunnels in hopes of finding survivors and recovering bodies.

There has been anger at the lack of warning and inadequate support from authorities following the floods.

Footage shows the king walking down a pedestrian street, before his bodyguards and police were suddenly overwhelmed by a wave of protesters, insults and screams.

They struggled to maintain a protective ring around the monarch, as some protesters threw mud and objects.

The king was engaged to several people, even embracing and kissing them.

Images showed mud on the faces and clothes of the king, queen and entourage, who held umbrellas over the king as they left.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and the head of the Valencian regional government, Carlos Mazón, joined the royal couple on the visit, but were quickly evacuated as the crowds grew increasingly hostile.

Spanish media reported that objects were thrown at Sánchez, while footage verified by the BBC appeared to show stones being thrown at his car as he was driven away.

After he left, the crowd chanted: “Where is Sanchez?”

“I’m only 16 years old,” a boy named Pau told the BBC through tears. “We are helping – and the leaders are doing nothing. People are still dying. I can’t stand this anymore.”

Another woman said: “They left us for dead. We lost everything: our business, our home, our dreams.”

Civil Guard and mounted officers were then seen trying to disperse the angry crowd.

The royal entourage had intended to travel to Chiva, another town in Valencia province hit hard by flooding, but that visit was postponed.

The king later said he understood the protesters’ “anger and frustration” in a video posted on the royal family’s Instagram account.

Paiporta Mayor Maribel Albalat told the BBC that she was shocked by the violence but that she understood “the frustration and despair of the people”.

Juan Bordera, a member of the Valencian parliament, called the king’s visit “a very bad decision”.

Mr Bordera told the BBC that authorities “did not listen to any warnings”.

He added: “It is reasonable that people are angry, it is reasonable that people do not understand why this visit is so urgent.”

On Saturday, Sánchez ordered an additional 10,000 soldiers, police and civil protection forces to the area.

He said this is Spain’s largest troop deployment in peacetime. But he added that he knew the response was “insufficient” and acknowledged “serious problems and shortfalls”.

The flooding began on Tuesday, after a period of intense rain. Floodwaters quickly caused bridges to collapse and covered towns in thick mud.

Many communities are isolated, without access to water, food, electricity and other basic services.

On Sunday, the death toll from the floods rose to 217 and many people are still missing.

Almost all the deaths confirmed so far have been in the Valencia region on the Mediterranean coast.

Some areas were particularly devastated. Authorities in Paiporta, the town visited by the royal delegation today, reported at least 62 deaths.

Spain’s meteorological agency AEMET issued the highest level of warning on Sunday for areas south of Valencia – including the cities of Alzira, Cullera and Gandia.

The agency said the severe storms passing through the region would not be on the scale of Tuesday, with 90mm (3.45 inches) of rain expected.

With additional reporting from Mimi Swaby