The investigation into the devastating flood in Valencia that claimed 229 lives last autumn is ongoing. The judge from Catarroja overseeing the case has decided to summon the first deputy head of the regional government, Susana Camarero, as a witness. At the same time, the president of the autonomous community, Carlos Mazón, has once again been asked to appear in court—not as a witness this time, but as a person under investigation.
This turn of events follows recent publications that have cast doubt on previous accounts of the authorities’ actions during the critical hours. Journalist Maribel Vilaplana, who had lunch with Mazón on the day of the tragedy, recently changed her testimony regarding the time they left the El Ventorro restaurant. While she had previously stated she left around 17:45, she now claims it was later—between 18:30 and 18:45, by which time the disaster was already in full swing. This detail prompted the judge to invite Mazón to voluntarily provide an explanation in the case, as requested by one of the parties accusing him.
At the same time, the judge chose not to summon Vilaplana to testify, siding with the prosecutor’s office. As for Camarero, her involvement in coordinating actions during the disaster appears to have been minimal: according to the report, she participated in the emergency headquarters via videoconference for just 83 minutes. Moreover, when the situation in the region escalated, she left the meeting to attend an award ceremony with another member of the government.
Now Camarero is set to appear in court and testify under oath. Her summons came in response to a motion from one of the political parties involved in the proceedings. The regional authorities are facing increased scrutiny, and the investigation is taking on new, unexpected twists. In the near future, it will become clear how these hearings will affect the progress of the case and the positions of key figures in the Valencian government.
