At
least 186 people have died and more than 1,000 have been wounded
in a series of morning rush-hour explosions at three different
railway stations in Madrid today.
The Spanish Red Cross (CRE) has mobilized more than 300 volunteers,
including more than 70 psychological support experts, in Madrid
to offer assistance to the injured and bereaved.
The CRE has also deployed more than 70 vehicles, including 26
ambulances that are being used to transport people to hospitals
and five mobile blood collection units, mobilized in response
to an appeal for blood donors from hospitals treating the injured.
First aid kits, body bags, stretchers, blankets and other relief
items have also been made available from Red Cross stocks.
The CRE says that as a result of the overwhelming goodwill of
the Spanish public, there is no longer any need for blood donations.
If more blood is required, it will issue a fresh appeal.
The Spanish Red Cross has activated its tracing system to assist
families concerned about the fate of their loved-ones. In cooperation
with the Interior Minister and the Madrid regional government,
Red Cross volunteers are answering telephone calls of those
that have lost somebody.
In addition, psychological support teams, each comprising 12
experts, have been mobilized in seven other regions of Spain
Catalonia, Extremadura, Navarra, Huelva, Huesca, Granada and
Murcia - to provide comfort to relatives of those missing and
affected.
The International Federation and its member National Societies
have shown their solidarity with the Spanish Red Cross. In his
role as Spanish Red Cross President, Juan Manuel Suárez
del Toro, also president of the International Federation, welcomed
all the expressions of comfort and sympathy that had been received
from around the world in response to this terrible tragedy.
“We are proud of the work that the Spanish Red Cross is
carrying out under very difficult circumstances. Their volunteers
have been on the spot since the incident happened,” said
Abbas Gullet, the Federation’s deputy secretary general.
Despite the many kind offers of help, the Spanish Red Cross
says it is not appealing for international assistance. Suárez
del Toro will visit the affected zone this afternoon.
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Trains
at three Madrid railway stations, including here at Atocha
station, were targeted in the coordinated attacks (REUTERS/
Kai Pfaffenbach/courtesy www.alertnet.org)
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The
attacks were the worst such attacks ever in a European
Union country (REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach/courtesy www.alertnet.org)
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