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03-11-2004, 05:06
Spain rail blasts: 131 dead
Thursday, March 11, 2004 Posted: 5:57 AM EST (1057 GMT)
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- At least 131 people were killed and more than 400 injured in a series of explosions on Madrid's railway network at the height of morning rush hour, according to the the security minister for Madrid's regional government.
Spanish officials are blaming the Basque separatist group ETA for the coordinated attack, which comes ahead of Sunday's general election.
Three explosions hit separate trains along the southern part of Madrid's train network at Santa Eugenia, El Pozo and Atocha stations.
The most deadly blast happened on a train entering Madrid's main Atocha station, killing 29 people there, according to Interior Minister Angel Acebes. (Eyewitness reports)
Spain's conservative ruling Popular Party -- which has taken a hard-line stance against ETA -- is currently leading in the polls ahead of Sunday's elections.
So far, there has been no claim of responsibility.
The Popular Party announced it was suspending its campaign rallies scheduled for later in the day and Friday.
An official from Spain's northern Basque region called it the worst terrorist attack in Spanish history.
Spanish police -- who have foiled several recent bombing attempts by the Basque separatist group -- were on high alert for terror attacks by ETA ahead of Sunday's vote.
Video of the scene showed the wreckage of the train at Atocha, broken into pieces by the force of the explosions.
Spanish radio SER reported the train -- arriving from the eastern Madrid suburb of Alcala de Henares -- was hit by three explosions, planted in plastic bags in the front, middle and rear cars.
Medical staff set up a field hospital to treat the wounded at the scene, and buses were mobilized to help ambulances transport the wounded to hospitals.
Shortly after the blasts, Basque leader Juan Jose Ibarretxe held a news conference from the Basque capital of Vitoria, condemning the violence and calling on demonstrations against ETA.
Basque Member of Parliament Gustavo Aristegui -- who was in Madrid at the time of the attack -- also blamed ETA for the attack.
"This is probably Spain's worst terrorist attack in history -- not probably, surely our worst terrorist attack ever," Aristegui told CNN.
"There are people that are real monsters that are trying to blackmail the whole society through acts of terror."
ETA has been blamed for 800 deaths since it began its fight for an independent homeland in Spain's northern Basque region.
ETA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, of which Spain is a member.
The attacks drew an immediate condemnation from British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who called it "a disgusting assault on the very principle of European democracy."
Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio placed the blame squarely on ETA, saying "we knew they are preparing a very big terror attack."
"ETA has a very clear pattern in its activities and we unfortunately have a long experience in dealing with them," she said. (More reaction)
On February 29, Spanish police seized more than 1,000 pounds of explosives and arrested two suspected ETA members who were planning to carry out an imminent attack in Madrid, an official said.
CNN Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman contributed to this report.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/03/11/spain.blasts/index.html
Thursday, March 11, 2004 Posted: 5:57 AM EST (1057 GMT)
MADRID, Spain (CNN) -- At least 131 people were killed and more than 400 injured in a series of explosions on Madrid's railway network at the height of morning rush hour, according to the the security minister for Madrid's regional government.
Spanish officials are blaming the Basque separatist group ETA for the coordinated attack, which comes ahead of Sunday's general election.
Three explosions hit separate trains along the southern part of Madrid's train network at Santa Eugenia, El Pozo and Atocha stations.
The most deadly blast happened on a train entering Madrid's main Atocha station, killing 29 people there, according to Interior Minister Angel Acebes. (Eyewitness reports)
Spain's conservative ruling Popular Party -- which has taken a hard-line stance against ETA -- is currently leading in the polls ahead of Sunday's elections.
So far, there has been no claim of responsibility.
The Popular Party announced it was suspending its campaign rallies scheduled for later in the day and Friday.
An official from Spain's northern Basque region called it the worst terrorist attack in Spanish history.
Spanish police -- who have foiled several recent bombing attempts by the Basque separatist group -- were on high alert for terror attacks by ETA ahead of Sunday's vote.
Video of the scene showed the wreckage of the train at Atocha, broken into pieces by the force of the explosions.
Spanish radio SER reported the train -- arriving from the eastern Madrid suburb of Alcala de Henares -- was hit by three explosions, planted in plastic bags in the front, middle and rear cars.
Medical staff set up a field hospital to treat the wounded at the scene, and buses were mobilized to help ambulances transport the wounded to hospitals.
Shortly after the blasts, Basque leader Juan Jose Ibarretxe held a news conference from the Basque capital of Vitoria, condemning the violence and calling on demonstrations against ETA.
Basque Member of Parliament Gustavo Aristegui -- who was in Madrid at the time of the attack -- also blamed ETA for the attack.
"This is probably Spain's worst terrorist attack in history -- not probably, surely our worst terrorist attack ever," Aristegui told CNN.
"There are people that are real monsters that are trying to blackmail the whole society through acts of terror."
ETA has been blamed for 800 deaths since it began its fight for an independent homeland in Spain's northern Basque region.
ETA is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, of which Spain is a member.
The attacks drew an immediate condemnation from British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who called it "a disgusting assault on the very principle of European democracy."
Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio placed the blame squarely on ETA, saying "we knew they are preparing a very big terror attack."
"ETA has a very clear pattern in its activities and we unfortunately have a long experience in dealing with them," she said. (More reaction)
On February 29, Spanish police seized more than 1,000 pounds of explosives and arrested two suspected ETA members who were planning to carry out an imminent attack in Madrid, an official said.
CNN Madrid Bureau Chief Al Goodman contributed to this report.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/03/11/spain.blasts/index.html