10 injured in Madrid car blast

At least 10 people were slightly injured when a car bomb exploded today near a Madrid Convention centre.

A column of smoke rose from the site of the blast.

The bomb exploded shortly after 9.30am (8.30am Irish time) near Ifema, a large convention centre, said David Fernandez, spokesman for the Interior Ministry.

A telephone warning was received by the Basque newspaper Gara, which often serves as a mouthpiece for Eta. Gara said it received the warning 35 minutes before the blast.

The Spanish king and queen had been due to open a modern arts fair at the city’s main convention centre later in the day.

A destroyed car was seen near one of the entrances to the centre in the north-east of Madrid.

Madrid police rushed to the scene in an attempt to move people away from the car before it blew up but between 10 and 15 people were injured.