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Car bomb explodes in Madrid

No group has claimed responsibilty for the blast

The blast, in the Spanish capital's Ventilla district, caused considerable damage, and the immediate area lost its electricity supply, a fire services spokesman said.

No group immediately said it was behind the blast, but the Basque separatist group ETA has often used car bombs as part of its 34-year campaign for Basque independence.

The blast broke windows in the building of the Repsol oil company and nearby flats and damaged cars.

'Block shook'

"We felt a very strong explosion. The block virtually shook. I looked out into the street and there was a car in flames," a neighbour told Spanish national radio.

Eyewitnesses said a pavement was covered with glass was being cleaned up by emergency services.

On Saturday, a car bomb had exploded in Getxo, near Bilbao in the Basque region.

There, the police had cordoned off the area after a warning had been received in ETA's name, and there were no reported casualties.