Spain's Valencia governor apologizes officially after 17 days of heavy flooding

Valencia Governor Carlos Mason, who angered residents by saying "we are not meteorologists" over criticism that the catastrophic flooding in southeastern Spain late last month was a man-made disaster, made an official apology 17 days after the incident.

Governor Mason told the state legislature he would "not deny" that there were mistakes in the authorities' handling of the floods, calling them "the worst Spain has ever experienced since 1962.

As the head of the local authority, he said, "I want to apologize to the residents who felt there was no aid or not enough," adding, "I will not shy away from any responsibility."

A total of 224 people were killed in southeastern Spain, mainly in Valencia, on the 29th of last month due to unusual surprise downpours.

After criticism that authorities had failed to grasp the situation properly and to respond to the crisis, Mason protested that he and officials were not meteorologists, saying they had "followed protocols standardized and coordinated by the central government" at the time.

More than 130,000 Valencia residents held a large-scale protest on the 9th to protest the authorities' poor response.

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the building, calling him a "liar" and demanding his resignation, even as Governor Mason spoke to Congress.