Madrid massacre toll revised

The death toll in the Madrid terrorist train bombings was reduced by one to 190 because a foetus killed in the attack was not considered a person, Spanish officials confirmed today.

But officials said the figure was expected to rise again soon to include the death of a newborn whose mother was injured in the bombing.

In the aftermath of the March 11 attacks and the collective suicide by Islamic militant suspects on April 3, government officials had repeatedly said the overall toll was 192 – 191 in the bombings themselves, and a special operations officer killed trying to arrest the suspects.

But Spanish newspapers and agencies and English-language media including The Associated Press had widely reported the train toll as 191.

The Interior Ministry and an agency set up to aid victims of the attacks insisted today that the official death toll in the bombings themselves, excluding the policeman’s death, was 190 all along.

Spanish law says a baby must live for at least 24 hours for the case to be considered a live birth.

Now, however, the ministry said a court is examining a petition from the family of a baby boy who died on May 10, two days after his premature birth, and whose mother was injured in the attacks.

The family says the child died because of injuries sustained in the bombing and wants him classified as a victim so the family can receive benefits for the baby’s death. Approval of the request is expected, the Interior Ministry official said.