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Spain bombing kills 2 police officers on island

(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-07-30 23:03

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PALMA DE MALLORCA: Spain has blocked planes and ships from leaving the resort island of Mallorca while they hunt suspects in the bombing that killed two police officers.

Investigators gesture beside the wreckage of a car in Palmanova, in the Balearic Island of Mallorca, July 30, 2009. [Agencies]

The explosion near a police station on a Spanish resort island killed two officers Thursday, a day after a car bombing blamed on Basque separatists injured scores in northern Spain, officials said.

A regional Interior Ministry statement says "as a result of the attack state security forces have sealed off the island to avoid the escape of the terrorists."

Related readings:  Blast injures 46 in Spain  Car bomb in Spain destroys police barracks  Car bomb injures 46 in northern Spain  Car bomb explodes in Spain, dozens injured  ETA military chief nailed: Spain

The cause of the blast in Mallorca was under investigation and a Civil Guard spokesman in Madrid could not confirm news reports saying the explosion may have been caused by a bomb attached to the underside of a police patrol vehicle.

If confirmed as an ETA attack, it would conflict with government assertions that the group is seriously weakened after major police crackdowns in Spain and France in recent months.

The 50th anniversary of ETA's founding is Friday and the group may be trying to demonstrate with attacks on the two consecutive days before the milestone that it was not in any danger of breaking up.

The attack occurred in the Palmanova beach area, southwest of the island's capital, Palma de Mallorca.

The victims belonged to the paramilitary Civil Guard, which is chiefly in charge of policing rural areas and guarding official buildings. Mallorca is one of Spain's top tourist destinations and the explosion occurred at the height of the summer holiday season.

Spanish National radio said the blast shortly before 2 p.m. (1200 GMT, 8 a.m. EDT) was caused by a bomb attached to a Civil Guard jeep and that there were also several people injured.

Two officers were killed, the spokesman said on condition of anonymity in line with police department regulations. He gave no further details.

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