Thursday, March 11, 2004

Figures for the number of dead range from a low of 62 to a high of 155. At least a dozen people were killed at each of three stations. There are still bodies inside the trains. 350 wounded people have been admitted to hospitals. Two more bombs were found, one at Atocha and the other at El Pozo, and were blown up in controlled explosions by the bomb squad. Madrid is completely snarled up. If I were in Madrid, I'd just stay home. You'll be one fewer person in the way. They don't want any more blood donations, so don't worry about that.

To Americans and Brits who know people in Madrid: If they're tourists just passing through it's highly unlikely they'd have been in any of the trains or commuter stations involved; same if they live in the city, because the victims seem to have been mostly working people taking the train into town from Guadalajara, Alcala de Henares, and Torrejon. If you should know someone from that area who works in Madrid, though, I'd be a little worried, but don't panic. Chances are he or she is OK; give him a chance to get hold of you when he can. Cell phone service in much of Madrid is out, so don't freak out if you can't get hold of him or her. If you have reason to think that one of your FAMILY MEMBERS was on one of the trains, call the police at 91 586 70 00 or RENFE, the train company, at 900 200 222. Don't just call there looking for general information.

There will be a demonstration tomorrow at 7 PM everywhere in Spain. I'm going, for whatever it's good for.

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