Shovel-wielding residents hurled mud and insults at Spain's king and queen on Sunday during their tour of one of the towns in the region around Valencia where floods have left at least 217 people dead and dozens missing.
"Get out! Get out!” and “Killers!” shouted several in the crowd in Paiporta as King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia were forced to take cover behind bodyguards.
Mud hit the king and queen in the face and on their clothes as they tried to calm the crowd.
King Felipe said after his visit that Spain had to understand the anger and frustration of people affected by the floods.
In a video released on social media, he called on the public to support the victims. "We need to give them hope and the guarantee that the state in its entirety is present."
On Tuesday, a year's amount of rain fell in eight hours in the eastern part of the country. Road and rail links were severed in the resulting floods.
Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez was also forced to cut short his visit to the area.
On Saturday, he ordered the deployment of 10,000 extra soldiers and police into the region to help the rescue and clear-up operation.
The move came as Sanchez and the regional leader Carlos Mazon faced increasing fire over the lack of warnings and slow response to the disaster.
"I understand the anger and, of course, I am here to receive it," said Mazon on social media. "This is my political and moral obligation."
Response
However, even though power has been restored to many home, thousands remain without drinking water nearly a week after the floods swept through the towns.
Stores and supermarkets lie in ruins in Paiporta where wrecked cars and layers of mud litter once bustling streets.
“I want to express all my government’s solidarity and its acknowledgement of the anguish, suffering, uncertainty and the needs of the residents of Paiporta and the region of Valencia,” Sánchez said.
On Friday morning, Spanish football authorities said games taking place this weekend would publicise a Red Cross fundraising campaign over the public address systems.
"Spain's professional football joins the condolences and expresses its solidarity with the families of the victims and the missing," La Liga said in a statement.
Real Madrid, which came under fire for poor sportsmanship for boycotting the Ballon d'Or award ceremony in Paris on Monday night, announced it would offer one million euros to the Red Cross.
"Real Madrid has decided to support this campaign to help the many families who are in a critical situation and need all our help and solidarity," Madrid said in a statement.
