Spanish hotel rocked by explosion

The bomb was hidden in a rucksack

A bomb has exploded at a hotel in the town of Denia in south-east Spain, police say.

The blast happened in the Hotel Port Denia at about 1515 local time (1415 GMT), in the Alicante region.

One person - believed to be British - was slightly injured in the explosion, which badly damaged two floors of the hotel. He suffered eardrum injuries.

Police said it followed a telephone warning from the militant Basque separatist group, Eta.

About 160 people, including several British tourists, were evacuated before the explosion.

Efe quoted police as saying the hotel was evacuated immediately after the warning call.

The bomb, which was hidden in a backpack, exploded about half an hour later.

Violent campaign

The blast came two days before the Spanish parliament is scheduled to debate and vote on a Basque plan for independence from Spain - a proposal almost certain to be rejected.

Two weeks ago, a policeman was injured by a car bomb in the town of Gexto, near the main Basque city, Bilbao.

A caller claiming to be from Eta said the group was behind that attack.

Eta has carried out scores of bombings over the past 30 years in its fight for Basque independence in the north of Spain.

Its campaign has resulted in more than 800 deaths.

The BBC's Danny Wood in Madrid says experts say that Eta is at one of the weakest points in its history and may be about to give up its armed struggle.

But, he says, the ongoing bomb attacks prove the group still has the willingness and the capacity to strike.