Eta linked to Tour De France blasts

Two small explosive devices detonated today along a road on the Tour de France route in northern Spain before the cyclists rode by.

The explosions, preceded by a call from someone claiming to represent Basque separatist group Eta, occurred half a mile from the border with France outside Belagua, a town in the Navarra region.

They exploded 40 minutes apart on opposite sides of the road after a caravan of tour-related publicity vehicles, which precedes the riders, had passed by.

No-one was injured and the race’s route was not changed, an official with the Spanish Interior Ministry said.

About 30 minutes after the second blast, the riders started coming into Belagua, passed through it safely and eventually rode back into France along the scheduled tour route.

The devices were inside plastic food containers and involved “a small amount of explosives,” the official said. They exploded on bluffs overlooking the road and kicked up some earth but caused no injuries.