A series of train bomb explosions devastated parts of downtown
Madrid, Spain, during the morning commuter rush Thursday, killing
at least 190 people and injuring more than 1,400.
Ten backpack bombs exploded in quick succession for 15 minutes
on four commuter trains beginning at 7:39 a.m in Spain. The bombs
went off in train stations en route to the city’s central
Atocha station. Three other bombs were found prior to exploding and
detonated by police.
Spanish officials placed responsibility for the bombings on the
Basque separatists group, ETA. But investigators are also exploring
whether the attacks are tied to al-Qaeda. The bombing was the worst
terrorist attack in Spain’s history.
“An act of barbaric terrorism has engulfed Spain with
profound pain, repulsion and anger,” said King Juan Carlos in
a national address.
Spanish officials called the nation to hold anti-ETA rallies and
declared three days of national mourning.
There are currently 30 UCLA students in Madrid, but Education
Abroad Program officials said it is unlikely that any of them were
harmed in the attacks.
As of 11 a.m. Thursday, EAP had contacted all but six students
and it is unlikely that those students were at the train stations
that were bombed, said EAP representative Bruce Hanna. There are in
total 322 University of California students in Spain.
“We feel pretty comfortable but not totally comfortable
until we’ve accounted for everyone’s
whereabouts,” Hanna said.
It is also unlikely that the Spain program will be canceled,
Hanna said, adding that EAP is treating the event as an isolated
incident and does not expect more violence.
Like most everyday commuters in the capital city, UC students
began their normal routine, preparing to make the trip from their
residence to a nearby university. But this routine was interrupted
abruptly as they approached the central hub of the city and
absorbed the chaos that surrounded them.
Nichelle Luarca, a third-year history student from UC Irvine,
began her commute around 8:30 a.m. from her apartment in South
Madrid. Luarca said she had taken the train before, but on Thursday
had decided to take the subway to make it to class at Carlos III
University, south of downtown Madrid. When she got off the subway
at the Atocha station, she said she was shocked to hear sirens
going off and to see ambulances in every direction.
Luarca did not know what had happened until she asked a person
nearby and got the reply, “una bomba.”
“The whole city is affected,” Luarca said,
describing the somber atmosphere that has enveloped Madrid.
“You can see the pain on their faces. … It’s
devastating.”
Luarca added that EAP representatives in Spain had been
“great” in contacting students and comforting them.
Some students who had studied in Madrid last quarter say they
are amazed that only a couple of months ago, they were riding the
same trains that are now blown apart.
Cassy English, a third-year English student who plans to study
in Spain next fall, said the attacks will not deter her from her
plans, though they will linger in the back of her mind.
“It’ll make a difference in the way I think about my
experiences,” she said.
With reports from Charles Proctor, Bruin senior staff, and
Bruin wire services.