July 1979 Madrid bombings
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| July 1979 Madrid bombings | |
|---|---|
| Part of the Basque conflict | |
| Location | Madrid, Spain |
| Date | 29 July 1979 1301 (UTC+2) |
Attack type | bombs |
| Deaths | 7 |
| Injured | 100+ |
| Perpetrators | ETA political-military |
The July 1979 Madrid bombings were a series of bomb attacks carried out by ETA political-military (ETA-pm), a faction of the armed Basque separatist group ETA. The attacks, consisting of coordinated bombings in Barajas Airport and the train stations of Atocha and Chamartín, killed 7 people and injured a further 100. The bombings occurred a day after two attacks in Bilbao and San Sebastian, with both attacks killing two people.
Barajas airport
The first bomb was placed on the ground floor of the airport, in the domestic arrivals section near an information desk.[1] The bomb consisted of 6 kilos of Amatol and exploded at 13:01, destroying nearby shops, toilets and windows.[1] Broken glass from the windows led to numerous injuries, among them a soldier and a member of the Guardia Civil. Taxis were used to transport some of the injured to La Paz clinic. The bomb killed three people.
Chamartín railway station
The bomb was placed in a locker near a waiting room. The explosion occurred at 13:10 and created panic, with many fleeing from the building towards exits, only to return a few minutes later when the realised that they had abandoned their luggage. Dorothea Fertig, a student from Germany, was decapitated as a result of the bomb.[1]
Atocha railway station
The most serious attack occurred at Atocha at 13:15 with 3 instantly killed and 40 wounded due to the structure of the lockers in which the bomb had been placed.[1]
The three attacks caused a total of 23 million pesetas worth of damage.[1]