Advertisement

Car Bomb Attack on Spanish Army Bus Kills 2; 39 Hurt

Share
From Reuters

A car bomb believed to have been triggered by Basque guerrillas blew up a military bus Friday, killing an army major and the civilian driver and wounding 39 people, police said.

A car containing an estimated 200 pounds of explosives went off in the city center when the bus, carrying instructors to the Zaragoza Military Academy, drove by in the morning rush hour.

The blast ripped through the front and side of the bus, instantly killing the 46-year-old civilian driver, Angel Ramos, and wounding all 24 passengers--officers, non-commissioned officers and privates.

Advertisement

Army Maj. Manuel Rivera, 45, died minutes later in a hospital.

The attack, on a busy traffic circle in this northeastern city, sent flying shrapnel and glass over 250 yards and wounded 17 passersby.

Doctors said six people were in serious condition with eye wounds and some risked losing their sight.

Interior Ministry sources in Madrid said the attack was apparently in retaliation for setbacks which the Basque separatist guerrilla group ETA (Basque Homeland and Freedom) have suffered in Madrid and the Basque country.

Advertisement