Videos and especially audios continue to appear that complete the chronology of October 29, the day of the dana in which 229 people died. RTVE published this Thursday brief images of the meeting held by the president Carlos Mazón with the social agents, the last official act that the head of the Consell had before going to lunch in El Ventorro, in which he is heard commenting to those responsible for employers and unions about the entry into force of “a first hydrological alert” due to the rains that had already been recorded in various parts of Valencia at that point in the day.
It is 1:45 p.m. and Mazón refers to the warning established for the Magro River at 11:45 a.m., as he points out that the alert is “in the swamp where it is…” in reference, it is understood, to the Forata dam, located in that basin and which receives the waters that fell strongly since early morning in Utiel. Shortly after, at 12:20 p.m., the Poyo ravine comes into force.
An alert that the Consell would also be aware of, since the audio also shows a third person adding to Mazón's comment about Magro: “And in Poyo I have heard, right?”. At the moment, the authorship of that phrase, which was uttered by a woman, has not been revealed.
In the images, in addition to Mazón, Salvador Navarro (Pipe) e Ismael Saez (UGT), the vice president appears Susana Camarerothe counselor Ruth Merino (which appears silently in the image while the phrase is spoken, so it would be discarded) and Ana García Alcolea (CC OO). In addition, sources consulted highlight that it may also come from some of the off-screen people, such as advisors or press officers.
In any case, Mazón's words prove the obvious: that the president He was aware of some alerts established by Emergencies about two hours before. However, they clash with his recent statements that he kept his agenda and went to El Ventorro to eat with journalist Maribel Vilaplana because “The news we had at midday from Utiel was what was expected”.
It should be remembered that by then Utiel's situation was already at its limit. In fact, a few minutes after the scene revealed by RTVE, at 2:14 p.m., the mayor of this town, Ricardo Gabaldón (PP)goes live on À Punt and talks about a “very dramatic situation” and unprecedented. Likewise, the Government delegate, the socialist Pilar Bernabehad already offered the EMU to former Minister Salomé Pradas shortly after noon.
Some of those attending the meeting already revealed that Mazón referred in a relaxed tone to the decision of the University of Valencia to suspend classes that day, which he considered exaggerated.
Subscribe to continue reading