M A I N   N E W S

Serial train blasts kill 190 in Spain

Madrid, March 11
Powerful explosions ripped through three busy Madrid train stations today, killing at least 190 commuters and wounding more than 600 in Spain's worst terrorist attack ever. The government blamed the armed Basque separatist group ETA for the explosions.

“ETA had been looking for a massacre in Spain,” Interior Minister Angel Acebes said after an emergency Cabinet meeting, citing recent thwarted attacks. “Unfortunately, today it achieved its goal.”

The bombings occurred just three days before the general election.

Altogether, there were 10 explosions at the three locations. The police blew up three more bombs or suspicious objects.

The bombs exploded around 7:30 a.m. (1200 IST) in a commuter train arriving at Atocha station, a bustling hub for subway, commuter and long-distance trains in Spain's capital.

Basque radical leader Arnaldo Otegi in San Sebastian on Thursday. Otegi denied there was any relation between the ETA armed guerrilla group and the Madrid blasts and insisted that Arab groups could be behind the attack. — Reuters

Blasts also rocked trains or platforms at two stations on a commuter line leading to Atocha. People in tears streamed away from Atocha station as rescue workers carried bodies covered in sheets of gold fabric.

People with bloodied faces sat on curbs, using cell phones to tell loved ones that they were alive. Hospitals appealed for blood donations. Buses were pressed into service as ambulances.

The wreckage of a train at Madrid’s Atocha station after an explosion on Thursday. A series of explosions that ripped through crowded passenger trains during the rush hour in Madrid killed 186 persons. — Reuters

Mr Acebes said security services believe ETA was responsible for the blasts because the group attempted a similar attack on Christmas Eve, placing bombs on two trains bound for a Madrid station.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the blasts which ripped through rush-hour trains at three stations hit just ahead of a Spanish national election on Sunday.

A Madrid official said the death toll could be significantly higher, and the ruling Popular Party suspended its election campaign, which had focused on a tougher stance against ETA Basque separatist guerrillas seeking a separate homeland. Government ministers blamed the explosions on the ETA, which is branded by the United States and the European Union as a terrorist organisation. — AP, Reuters

Indian players safe in Madrid

New Delhi, March 11
All the members of the Indian hockey team, participating in the Olympic men’s hockey qualifying tournament, are safe, an Indian Embassy spokesman said tonight in Madrid after the Spanish capital was rocked by a series of explosions that claimed over 130 lives.

“All the hockey players are safe. The hotel they are staying in central down town is over 3 km away from the nearest site of the explosion,” the spokesman told PTI over telephone from Madrid.

He said Indian team manager Shyamji Krishnamurthy has conveyed to the Indian mission that the Indian players were safe. — PTI