Car bomb explosion in Madrid

A powerful car bomb exploded in &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/society/2002/09/19/36867.html ' target=_blank>Madrid Wednesday after a warning call from the armed Basque separatist group ETA, police said, in the latest of a string of attacks since Spain's prime minister offered talks with the group if it renounces violence.

Eighteen people were slightly injured, said Beatriz Martin, the city`s emergency medical department spokeswoman. The explosion occurred around 9:30 a.m. in a working-class district north of the Spanish capital.

Police cordoned off the area where the bomb went off after an anonymous caller to the Basque newspaper Gara, which often serves as a mouthpiece for &to=http:// english.pravda.ru/world/2002/06/27/31246.html' target=_blank>ETA, said a bomb would explode inside a Renault van, tells ABC News.

According to the USA Today, eighteen people were slightly injured in the blast about 9:30 a.m. in a working-class district in the northeast of the Spanish capital, said emergency medical department spokeswoman Beatriz Martin. Only one person - a security guard at a car dealership - had to be hospitalized, Martin said.

Police had cordoned off the area after an anonymous caller to the Basque newspaper Gara, which often serves as a mouthpiece for ETA, said a bomb would explode inside a Renault van.

The blast sent up a large column of black smoke and damaged about 20 buildings, shattering windows and scarring facades.