Yzabelle Bostyn
THE VALENCIAN president, Carlos Mazon, was at dinner in central Valencia until 6pm on the day floods hit the region.
According to the owner of the El Ventorro restaurant, Mazon was there for lunch with journalist Maribel Vilaplana.
She claims Mazon left the restaurant at around 5:30pm, when red weather alerts had been in place for hours.
By 6pm, Utiel and other towns had already been flooded in the disaster that claimed over 210 lives.
After the lunch, the president returned to the Palau de la Generalitat but did not arrive at an emergency coordination meeting until 7pm, according to government sources.
El Pais reported that sources from within the Valencian Government has called the news ‘irrelevant’, saying Mazon was consistently informed of the ongoing issue.
They say the Minister for Justice Salome Pradas, who is responsible for emergency situations, was handling the situation ‘as is required by law.’
Those same sources have refused to explain why Mazon’s agenda for the day of the tragedy has not been made public.
Utiel has been experiencing flooding since the morning of October 29 and had already requested emergency military aid.
Mazon has since confirmed he was indeed at the restaurant, but government sources maintain he joined emergency meetings when requested.
