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March 11
Early reports say two bombs exploded on an intercity train at Atocha
station
2004: 170 die as bombs destroy Madrid trains
England have
At least 170 people have died and 500 have been injured as huge explosions
tore through three Madrid train stations during the morning rush-hour.
Near simultaneous blasts hit Atocha station in the centre of the Spanish
capital and two smaller stations, Santa Eugenia and El Pozo.
Early reports say that two bombs exploded on one intercity train as it
pulled into Atocha station at 0730 local time.
Blasts were also believed to have taken place on two suburban trains on the
rail line leading into the station. The government said there were four
explosions altogether.
Juani Fernandez, 50, who was on a platform waiting for a train, said:
"People started to scream and run, some bumping into each other. I saw people
with blood pouring from them, people on the ground."
Paramedics have set up an emergency field hospital outside Atocha, which is
a major railway station used by commuter, intercity and subway trains.
Madrid rescue services official Cesar Gomez said there was "a multitude" of
injured at the station.
Emergency services are trying to rescue commuters trapped on the trains.
Hospitals in the city have appealed for people to come forward to give
blood.
A vast morgue has been set up in an exhibition hall and busloads of
relatives are arriving to try to identify remains. Authorities have warned it is
almost impossible to match body parts.
All trains in and out of the Spanish capital have been cancelled.
Spain"s national telephone operator, Telefonica, has urged people to send
text messages instead of making calls to take the pressure off the network,
which has collapsed.
No group has admitted carrying out the attacks but the Spanish government
blames Basque separatist group Eta for the bombings, which come three days ahead
of Spain"s general election.
Campaigning for the election has been suspended for the time being.
"There is no doubt Eta is responsible," said Spain"s interior minister
Angel Acebes following an emergency cabinet meeting. "Eta had been looking for a
massacre in Spain," Mr Acebes added.
Mr Acebes said there was no prior warning of the explosions.
The leader of one outlawed Basque party linked to Eta denied the Madrid
bombings were the work of the separatist group. He suggested "Arab resistance"
elements could be behind the attacks.
Some experts on Eta said the bombings did not fit the group"s usual profile
for attacks. Eta have frequently phoned warnings ahead of attacks in the
past.
Police are reported to be hunting for two men seen jumping on and off
trains further down the line from the sites where the explosions happened.
Mikhail Gorbachev takes charge at the Kremlin
1985: Gorbachev becomes Soviet leader
Artificially 1969:
The There is a new man in charge at the Kremlin - Mikhail Gorbachev has
taken over following the death of Konstantin Chernenko.
Chernenko, 73, died yesterday after a long illness - but his death was only
announced to the Soviet people this morning. Sombre music preceded the news on
radio and television and scheduled programmes were cancelled.
The speed of naming of his successor - at 54 the youngest man to take over
as general secretary of the Soviet communist party - has taken people by
surprise.
In another break with tradition, Mr Gorbachev has announced arms talks with
the Americans in Geneva will go ahead tomorrow.
Chernenko lasted only 13 months in the top job. He was in poor health when
he was appointed and his death was caused by heart failure brought on by
problems with his lungs and liver.
He is the third Soviet leader to die in just over two years. Leonid
Brezhnev died in 1982 after 18 years in power. He was 75. Yuri Andropov died 18
months later aged 69.
The British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher will attend Chernenko"s
funeral on Wednesday - but the United States President Ronald Reagan will not be
going.
The BBC"s Moscow correspondent, Tim Sebastian, says Mr Gorbachev"s
appointment marks a dramatic change in leadership in Moscow.
He says Mr Gorbachev is a dynamic figure who has moved rapidly through the
Soviet hierarchy.
"There seems little doubt the Gorbachev administration will look different.
More outgoing, more approachable, more concerned with its public image," he
reported.
"But its aims and its approach seem likely to be familiar. Despite his
lively and flexible manner, Gorbachev is still a strict, orthodox Marxist in no
sense has he shown himself to be a liberal."
Mr Gorbachev"s acceptance speech gave a hint of the changes to come. He
spoke of his desire to freeze the deployment of weapons and reduce the
international nuclear weapons stockpiles.
Mrs Thatcher has already indicated her approval at his appointment.
Following his recent visit to Britain, she said: "I like Mr Gorbachev. We can do
business together."
Vocabulary:
morgue: A place in which the bodies of persons found dead are kept until
identified and claimed or until arrangements for burial have been made.(太平间) |
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发表于 2016-7-9 23:20:47