At 8:05 am today (11 March), three commuter trains were ripped apart by multiple explosions. At this time (10:54am), there are an estimated 125 dead and hundreds injured, with many more casualities expected as rescue crews discover more bodies in the remains of the train coaches.

In addition there have been reports of a forth (car) bomb outside the National Assembly, although this was reported on only one television station, and I haven't heard other stations confirming it.

No group has yet come forth to claim responsibility, although the Basque terrorist/mafia gang, ETA, is a likely suspect, especially after over 500 kilograms (1100 pounds) of high explosive chemicals were discovered in a van stopped for a traffic violation near Cuenca last February 29th.

Urgent calls for blood donations have gone out from the Department of Health, and mobile blood donation centers have been set up in several plazas of Madrid in addition to the permanent donation centers.

Hundreds of ambulances and police vehicles are in constant movement, ferrying the injured to the main medical centers, such as Hospital La Paz, for treatment. Bodies and body parts can be seen on the "via" outside the bombed coaches which were almost cut in half by the explosions. At one station, the television showed at least three consecutive coaches with bomb damage in the center of each car, apparently designed to inflict the maximum number of deaths and injuries by the terrorists. All the bombs were apparently set off as the trains were about to unload passengers at the stations, again a strategy designed to increase casualities.

President Aznar cancelled an official function this morning after learning of the attacks. These attacks are the largest in the history of the terrorist campagin waged against the officials and citizens of Spain by ETA, far surpassing an attack on a shopping center in Barcelona in the 1990s which resulted in 26 deaths.

I will try to update this thread as I get more news, but it is a little difficult because I have to go to an Internet Cafe to do so.

Your thoughts and prayers for the victims and their families and friends will be greatly appreciated.

Martin de Madrid

What a shocker...

I´m heading over to Puerta Del Sol now to donate blood.

God bless all these poor souls associated with the bombings, EVEN the friggin´ ETA. They need it most!

Oh My God. I'll be following this story closely today. That is absolutely horrible.

TO ANYONE IN MADRID WHO WANT TO KNOW ABOUT RELATIVES WHO COULD HAVE BEEN IN THOSE TRAINS:

(PARA AQUELLOS EN MADRID QUE QUIERAN INFORMACIÓN ACERCA DE FAMILIARES QUE PUDIERAN VIAJAR EN ESOS TRENES, POR FAVOR, NO LLAMAR SI NO SE SOSPECHA DE QUE UN FAMILIAR VIAJABA ALLÍ PARA NO COLAPSAR LAS LÍNEAS)

THESE PHONE NUMBERS GIVE INFORMATION ABOUT RELATIVES, PLEASE ONLY FOR RELATIVES, NOT FOR GENERAL INFORMATION (TOO MANY CALLS COULD COLLAPSE THE PHONE LINES)

(INFORMACIÓN SOBRE FAMILIARES Y HERIDOS:)

900 200 222 - 902 200 215

INFORMATION ABOUT CASUALTIES (INFORMACIÓN SOBRE VÍCTIMAS)

91 586 70 00

PLEASE, DON´T CALL IF YOU'RE NOT FRIEND OR RELATIVE OF SOMEONE WHO COULD BE IN THOSE TRAINS.

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Thank you very much Martín de Madrid for the information.

I'm shocked. This is the most tragical day in Spain since the civil war, but unfortunately it hasn't been the first terrorist act that we have to go through.

Please pray for the victims, and ask for this madness to be stopped. I hope someday terrorism will desappear from Earth's face.

Sorry for my english.

PD: Un abrazo a la gente de Madrid.

UPDATE:

Mobile blood donation units have been set up at Puerta del Sol and Plaza Castellaña, and another location (I do not have the information). The authorities are asking people to stay away from the hospitals, and instead go to a donation center (the television stations constantly broadcast the locations), to keep from aggrevating traffic problems around the medical centers.

Current body count: 138, with more expected. Hundreds injured, many seriously. The city, naturally, is in shock. All train and bus service in the city has been suspended for the time being. The areas around the affected train stations (Atocha, Pozo and one other), are closed to traffic, and people are asked to stay away from these areas to allow emergency crews easier access.

MdM

Its not exactly the news I was hoping to hear 48 hours before going to madrid! We have had to cope with terrorist threats and acts in the UK for many years - we never let them win though. I would like to think that they wouldnt hit again in such a short time after this atrocity, and I am only due to spend a couple of days in madrid but it is a worry especially with the election this weekend.

UPDATE:

173 dead
400+ injured
I apologize for the grisly nature of this update, if it offends anyone, I will refrain.

Personally, I am offended by the fact that the security forces knew an attack of this magnitude was in the works, but have not been stopping and checking vans and trucks for explosives. Recently a national judge was suspended for his judgements favoring ETA, but I feel the state has done far too little to go after ETA members. For example there are often news conferences by ETA members at which a large group of citizens attends to shout "assains" at the representatives. Why aren't the police detaining these people? They are members of an outlawed terrorist group! If a member of Al Quieda held a press conference in the US you can bet he or she would be arrested and questioned. . .

Thank you for all the information and updates, my heart goes out to those involved in this atrocity and i hope that those repsonsible will be caught and severely punished.

I would like an opinion on whether people think it is safe to use the metro in general today?
Or if it is reccommended that we stay away in fear of further attacks, I have to collect people from the airport today and was planning to use the nuevos ministerios metro station to get there, what should i do?

Personally, I wouldnt use it, but I also doubt there would be further attacks so soon (although you clearly cant predict what these groups will do).

I am not convinced it was ETA yet - it seems a very big operation, and dont they usually say they have done an attack? Maybe they havent been stopping lorries etc. but these were bombs on trains as I understand it - it must be very difficult to stop someone carrying a case full of explosives onto a train?

I, too, am wondering whether this is a very ETA-like attack. Certainly not consistent with their usual way of operating.

With the elections so close, could this be some sort of commentary on Spain's support of the war in Iraq? I'm equally hesitant, though, to simply attribute it to al-Quaeda or some similar group. Seems a little TOO easy for ETA to be able to shift blame to what they're calling the "Arab resistance."

Whoever perpetrated it, this is a horrible tragedy for Spain. My heart goes out to everyone there.