19/08/2008

Vigilance Urged As Costa Bombed Again

Weekend bombs on the Coast del Sol have prompted the Foreign Office to issue advice to holidaymakers travelling to southern Spain.

Their website said: "There is a high threat from terrorism in Spain. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places frequented by expatriates and foreign travellers."

However, a spokesman for the Foreign Office said it was "still safe" to travel to Spain and the level of risk had not changed.

But visitors are advised to be vigilant and expect disruptions from real or hoax terror attempts.

The Basque separatist group ETA claimed responsibility for the explosions near the popular resorts of Torremolinos and Benalmadena.

Thousands of British tourists were evacuated from the beach in front of the Tryp Guadalmar Hotel before the first blast at around 1pm local time.

The second exploded at Benalmadena port - a busy tourist location - a couple of hours later.

Later, traffic around Malaga airport was disrupted for several hours and flights to the UK were delayed as police looked for a further device on the main road back to the city.

The Costa del Sol is one of the most popular parts of Europe for sun-seeking British expats and welcomes up to a million British tourists at any one time.

Fears of a renewed campaign by ETA had been raised by a small bomb close to the strip of bars and restaurants in Torremolinos last month.

One woman was treated for shock after the explosion which caused little damage in the area.

Two weeks earlier local authorities had blamed four small explosions at holiday resorts in northern Spain on ETA.

See: Spanish Mayor Plays Down 'Little Bomb' Blast

(BMcC)

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