Cachella Smith
Live reporter

We're now closing our live coverage after King Felipe VI visited one of the affected towns this afternoon - Paiporta - but was met with heckling and chanting from the crowds.

It follows growing levels of anger in the region over what residents say has been an inadequate response to the disaster.

Parts of southern Valencia had been subject to a red weather alert today amid concerns of further intense rainfall. That alert has now been downgraded back to orange.

Before you leave, we have a few places where you can continue to learn more about the story.

You can watch our correspondent Mark Lowen reporting from Paiporta earlier today or take a look at some comparison photos of areas before and after the flooding took place.

We also have an analysis piece on how the community has come together in response as well as our news story from today's events.

Mimi Swaby
BBC World Service

Image source, EPA

Maribel Albalat, the mayor of Paiporta - the epicentre of today’s protests - warmly greeted the king, queen and prime minister when they arrived to see the destruction. Yet the atmosphere from residents was far from what she expected.

She told me she understood "the frustration and desperation of the people. Although violence is never the solution, ever."

There is now a blame game raging with widespread accusations that the national and local governments did not heed weather warnings and acted too slowly.

She made it clear that this has never happened in Paiporta before and "someone is to blame", "something went wrong."

But this was not a conversation for now: "We will have to evaluate that further down the line. But, right now to be honest, I am trying to solve the problems of Paiporta – that are all unimaginable."

Image source, EPA

Angry crowds of people confronted Spanish King Felipe VI and shouted "murderer" at him in Paiporta, Valencia, a town badly affected by flash floods earlier this week.

The king, alongside Queen Letizia, was due to visit another flood-struck area, Chiva - but this was postponed. King Felipe says he understands the anger and frustration of those impacted by the flooding.

The overall death toll has risen to 217 as new red weather warnings have been issued for parts of southern Valencia by Spain's national weather agency.

The search for people still missing in the Valencia region is continuing - the Spanish Civil Guard says it has deployed more staff, as dogs and drones are being used to locate those still unaccounted for.

BBC Mundo

By Paula Rosas

Five days have passed since the tragedy, but Catarroja - one of the towns most affected by the flood - continues to have an apocalyptic look.

Its streets have been full of cranes and excavators working to remove the hundreds of cars that were swept away by the flood and turned into masses of iron.

Neighbours, helped by volunteers, continue removing mud from houses and bringing food and water to distribution points.

Among them is Chef Carlota Bonder, who has come from Ibiza to help set up solidarity kitchens and distribute hot meals to neighbours.

“I couldn't stay at home watching what was happening”, she says.

The BBC's Mark Lowen was in Paiporta earlier today for the king's visit, and says the "fury is extraordinary to see".

"This is just unprecedented," he says, "people are picking up mud and throwing it at the king". He sent us this report from the scene.

A weather alert for "continued and torrential rain now and over the next hour" has been sent to mobile phones in parts of Catalonia.

People in the Garraf, Alt Penedès, and Baix Penedès divisions of Catalonia - just to the east of Barcelona - have been warned to "take extreme precautions, avoid unnecessary travel, and stay away from streams and ravines," by the Directorate-General of Civil Protection of the Government of Catalonia.

Image source, EPA

King Felipe VI has spoken publicly for the first time since being greeted by angry crowds on a trip to Valencia, saying he "understands the anger and frustration" of those present.

Speaking in a video posted to the royal household's Instagram account, the king says the flooding was a "monumental disaster" and thanked the emergency services for their work.

He calls on the public to give the victims "hope and their guarantee that the state in its entirety is present".

Earlier we told you a fresh red weather warning has been issued for parts of southern Valencia, and that around 90mm of rain could fall in the space of an hour due to passing intense thunderstorms.

We're now hearing more from Spain's national weather agency (AEMET), who say that today's storm is likely to be shorter than those that caused flash floods earlier in the week.

The rainfall is "not like Tuesday's", the agency said in a post on X, adding that there is less wind and the storm is likely to move slowly northwards.

It says that on Tuesday, when the crisis started, the main red warning was issued for the total accumulation of rain across 12 hours - whereas today the warning has been issued for rainfall accumulation in one hour.

It also clarifies the meteorologists expect the amount of rain to exceed 90mm.

Earlier, we reported on crowds of people confronting King Felipe VI on a visit to Paiporta - a Valencian town that has been severely affected in the aftermath of flash floods. We've taken a look at why people are so angry:

Over the last couple of days we've heard from local residents who feel that warnings of the flooding were not issued quickly enough, but also that they are not receiving adequate support.

Yesterday Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced an extra 10,000 soldiers and police to help in Valencia.

Despite the extra troops, Francisco Munoz Montoro - whose uncle's home has been badly damaged - told the BBC that at the point of speaking they had had no contact from emergency services regarding any help.

Valencia resident Alex Baker said that "people feel abandoned" and don't think the local government is "stepping up".

Amparo Esteve, from Paiporta, told one of our correspondents "no-one is helping us". She said she had no water, food or access to a phone for three days.

Our Europe correspondent Mark Lowen spoke yesterday with other individuals who share those feelings.

Mark Lowen
Reporting from Paiporta, Valencia

We were in the middle of Paiporta – the worst hit suburb of Valencia – when the king and queen, prime minister, and regional president visited.

Suddenly, we saw the crowds around them growing increasingly furious. One protester tried to smash our camera.

Then we watched as people picked up mud to hurl at the monarch: an unprecedented show of rage and defiance in Spain.

“I’m just 16,” one boy, Pau, shouted through his tears: “We’re helping – and the leaders do nothing. People are still dying. I can’t stand this anymore.”

Another woman sobbed as she told me: “They left us to die. We’ve lost everything: our businesses, our homes, our dreams.”

Others have lost family, like Rafa, who owned a printing shop with his two brothers. One of them, Toni, stayed inside as the waters rose. His body was found a street away.

“This is a great country but with disgusting, incompetent leaders,” Rafa told me, breaking down.

“I’m so angry I can’t talk anymore. I don’t have the strength to speak about my brother. He was a really good person. I have no more words, I’m sorry.”

As we've been reporting, a red alert has now been activated for an area close to Valencia.

However, local governments whose areas are still covered by orange warnings have also been issuing alerts and advice to local residents throughout the day.

Murcia's local government posted on X, external, earlier today, that they have sent a warning out to mobile phones in Mazarrón due to the risk of flooding along the Rambla de las Moreras.

Earlier in the day, they said the region's "INUNMUR Plan", a protection plan for flooding, external, had been activated for Águilas, Mazarrón and Cartagena. Murcia is located south of the area that is now covered by a red warning

In Aldaia, a town in the Valencia region, the mayor and local police are urging people to seek higher ground amid fears of more flooding in the area due to forecast heavy rains.

In a post on X, Guillermo Luján writes that anyone on public roads should "finish their work and leave", adding "safety first".

Matt Taylor
BBC Weather

There continues to be some further heavy and thundery showers today in parts of eastern Spain. The clouds responsible show up on the recent satellite imagery.

A red alert has now been issued for parts of southern Valencia for the next few hours. That’s in anticipation that up to 90mm of rain could fall in one hour.

The forecast for the week ahead thankfully looks much quieter. A few isolated light showers are possible in the flood hit regions, but many will be predominantly dry. Heavier, potentially thundery downpours are possible across the Balearics later in the week.

While we've been reporting today on a new red alert issued for parts of southern Valencia, the overall death toll from the floods has risen to 217.

The latest figure includes 213 people in Valencia and its surrounding regions, three people in the the Castilla La Mancha region and one person in Andalusia, according to news agency AFP.

Image source, Reuters

Speaking during the protest in Paiporta a little while ago, one resident tells Reuters news agency that the town has been "abandoned" by Spanish authorities in the wake of the devastating floods.

"They didn't warn us," Julia Chisert shouts, asking to directly address King Felipe VI to call on him to restore order.

"We want you to defend us," she says. "We only ask for help, we don't ask for anything else."

Chisert also thanks people in Spain for the solidarity they have shown with people .

"We've had enough, you understand, we've had enough - that's all we wanted, we wanted to be warned, we wanted to be saved," she adds.

Bethany Bell
Reporting from Torre, Valencia

Today, I watched as the mud-stained contents of someone’s home in Torre in Valencia, were bulldozed away.

Mattresses, furniture and a fridge were dumped into a skip. A pink toddler’s bicycle, emblazoned with a picture of Minnie Mouse, lay against a smashed-up car.

The mud on the streets is beginning to dry, and the air is now full of dust.

Thousands of volunteers keep arriving to help with the cleanup – and to deliver much needed supplies.

Santiago told me he was taking food to a friend, whose house is a “very bad” state. “We're going to clean.” Santiago said he had tried to reach her house yesterday, but couldn’t because of the cars piled up in front.

“The access was impossible,” he said. “But she told us that the cars have been removed, so now we can go.”

He told me his friend “has no time to be sad because she has to find solutions. It is what it is.”

Image source, EPA

In case you're just joining us, here's what we know:

• Spain's King Felipe VI has faced angry protesters during a visit to Paiporta, a town in the Valencia region, following unprecedented floods
• In video footage, chants of "murderer" can be heard, while others ask why he didn't come sooner
• Mud and objects have been thrown - in photos from the scene, a number of objects can be seen flying overhead, as the king stands amongst the crowd
• One local politician has condemned the trip, telling the BBC it was "a very bad decision"
• It's believed that the king and queen have both now left the town, and they've since suspended a planned visit to another flood-struck area, Chiva
• In the last few minutes, a red weather alert has been issued in parts of southern Valencia, covering the cities of Alzira, Cullera and Gandia in the next few hours

A red weather warning has been issued for parts of southern Valencia for the next few hours by Spain's national weather agency (AEMET).

BBC Weather's Matt Taylor tells us 90mm of rain is possible in the space of an hour due to passing intense thunderstorms.

The AEMET warning covers the cities of Alzira, Cullera and Gandia.

King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia have suspended their planned visit to Chiva, another area hit by floods earlier this week, which is some 35km west of Valencia, according to local reports.

Police had cordoned off the streets of Chiva to try to protect the royal entourage after the king and queen were struck by mud while in Paiporta, on the outskirts of Valencia.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Getty Images

Yesterday, our Europe correspondent Mark Lowen wrote of the "outpouring of solidarity" in Valencia - but also noted a sense of anger directed towards the authorities among residents of the area.

Oscar Martinez said that the floods which hit Valencia and parts of south eastern Spain earlier this week were an "avoidable tragedy".

"All the regional government needed to do was to give us the flood warnings in advance," he told the BBC.

Shop owner Emilia said she felt "abandoned" in the wake of the tragedy, adding that people are unable to even wash their clothes or have a shower.

You can read Mark's full report on the rage at the authorities being felt in the region here.

Pedro Sánchez and his entourage are "well" after they had to be evacuated from the town of Paiporta earlier this afternoon, according to Spanish officials.

In a statement to Spanish broadcaster La Sexta, officials say Spain's prime minister was "heckled and attacked" while some people "threw mud balls and other objects at him".

The BBC has not seen footage of Sánchez being heckled or having things thrown at him on the streets of Paiporta this afternoon, but people in the crowd could be heard chanting "Where is Sánchez?".

Pictures released to the media earlier show Sánchez at a emergency response station in Valencia, speaking with officials, members of the public and shaking hands with King Felipe VI.

Image source, EPA