Judge says former president Carlos Mazon should stand trial for ‘total negligence’ over his response to Valencia flood disaster

Carlos Mazon’s former Valencia region president should face trial for negligence after his handling the October 2024 flooding disaster, which claimed the lives of 230 people.

Mazon quit his position in November of last year, after a year-long investigation into where he was on the fateful day.

He spent several hours the day after the floods eating with a newspaper, while his Government delayed sending mobile alerts to residents.

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Judge Nuria Ruiz Tobarra, who is investigating the regional government’s response, said there is evidence that Mazon showed ‘total negligence in the coordination and management’ of the floods.

Mazon’s decision to ‘retreat to a private dining room when faced with an extremely serious situation’ was ‘a decisive factor in the deadly human toll’, she added in her ruling.

Ruiz Tobarra said there was a ‘causal link’ with the deaths of people due to a lack of an emergency alert warning.

The judge referred Mazon’s case to Valencian Superior Court. This court has the power to prosecute Mazon, as he remains a member of Les Corts (regional parliament) who is a partido popular.

The Valencian bench now has to decide whether Mazon will be tried as recommended by the lower courts, if the investigation should continue or if the case should be dropped.

A year’s rain fell in just a few short hours on the 29th of October 2024, causing thousands of homes to be damaged.

Mazon has been repeatedly blamed by the families of victims and there have been regular protests in the area calling for his resignation or prosecution.

The Olive Press’ Valencia News is available by clicking here.