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| Version 3 | Version 4 |
|---|---|
| Spanish bomb disrupts UK holidays | Spanish bomb disrupts UK holidays |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| British holidaymakers are facing travel chaos after roads, ports and the airport on the island of Majorca were closed following a bomb attack. | British holidaymakers are facing travel chaos after roads, ports and the airport on the island of Majorca were closed following a bomb attack. |
| Some travellers risk being delayed at the airport, while others may not be able to take off from the UK. | Some travellers risk being delayed at the airport, while others may not be able to take off from the UK. |
| Tour operator Thomson said two of four flights en route to the Spanish island had turned back to Gatwick Airport. | Tour operator Thomson said two of four flights en route to the Spanish island had turned back to Gatwick Airport. |
| An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Britons are currently in Majorca, where it is understood Palma airport has re-opened. | An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Britons are currently in Majorca, where it is understood Palma airport has re-opened. |
| Tony Craggs, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, said his Easyjet flight from Palma had been delayed for an hour but he was now boarding. | Tony Craggs, from Newcastle-upon-Tyne, said his Easyjet flight from Palma had been delayed for an hour but he was now boarding. |
| The 23-year-old company director said a huge cheer had gone up and people were hugging each other. | The 23-year-old company director said a huge cheer had gone up and people were hugging each other. |
| "It looks like the ordeal is over," he told the BBC. "We were in the boarding lounge and the pilot of our plane came to tell us there had been a bomb attack. | "It looks like the ordeal is over," he told the BBC. "We were in the boarding lounge and the pilot of our plane came to tell us there had been a bomb attack. |
| "We didn't know if it affected our safety and people were panicking." | "We didn't know if it affected our safety and people were panicking." |
| He said the departures area was "jam-packed" and there would be a backlog of flights. | He said the departures area was "jam-packed" and there would be a backlog of flights. |
| Planes diverted | Planes diverted |
| Travel association Abta said there were an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Britons in Majorca at present. | Travel association Abta said there were an estimated 15,000 to 20,000 Britons in Majorca at present. |
| The other two Thomson Airways flights are expected to be diverted to one of the other Balearic islands. | The other two Thomson Airways flights are expected to be diverted to one of the other Balearic islands. |
| Several airlines have UK flights that are scheduled to leave for Majorca this evening. | Several airlines have UK flights that are scheduled to leave for Majorca this evening. |
| Two Easyjet flights and one British Airways plane are due to leave Gatwick from 1740 BST onwards. They are also scheduled to make return trips. | Two Easyjet flights and one British Airways plane are due to leave Gatwick from 1740 BST onwards. They are also scheduled to make return trips. |
| Lettings agent Kevin Blake and his family are booked on the Easyjet flight at 1740 BST. | Lettings agent Kevin Blake and his family are booked on the Easyjet flight at 1740 BST. |
| Speaking from the check-in queue at the Sussex airport, the 44-year-old, from Cobham in Surrey, said they heard about the blast just as they were waking out their front door. | Speaking from the check-in queue at the Sussex airport, the 44-year-old, from Cobham in Surrey, said they heard about the blast just as they were waking out their front door. |
| "We do not know anything at this point, they are just telling us to queue up and check in," he said. | "We do not know anything at this point, they are just telling us to queue up and check in," he said. |
| "I'm not concerned from a safety aspect, I just want to know if we're going or not. I don't want to spend the night at the airport." | "I'm not concerned from a safety aspect, I just want to know if we're going or not. I don't want to spend the night at the airport." |
| 'Over-reaction' | 'Over-reaction' |
| Another traveller, Neil Williams, an architect from London, was due to catch the same flight for a work meeting. | Another traveller, Neil Williams, an architect from London, was due to catch the same flight for a work meeting. |
| "The reaction to close all the ports and airports seems somewhere between infantile and an over-reaction," he said. "I hope they will tell me what is going on when I get to check-in." | "The reaction to close all the ports and airports seems somewhere between infantile and an over-reaction," he said. "I hope they will tell me what is going on when I get to check-in." |
| Three in-bound flights are due to arrive at Stansted Airport, Essex, from 1730 BST onwards. | Three in-bound flights are due to arrive at Stansted Airport, Essex, from 1730 BST onwards. |
| In Scotland, two flights left for Majorca from Glasgow and Edinburgh around 1500 BST. An aircraft is due to arrive in Glasgow from Majorca at 2050 BST, and another at Edinburgh at 1710 BST. | In Scotland, two flights left for Majorca from Glasgow and Edinburgh around 1500 BST. An aircraft is due to arrive in Glasgow from Majorca at 2050 BST, and another at Edinburgh at 1710 BST. |
| Tour company Thomas Cook had four flights due to leave to and from Majorca tomorrow and a large number on Saturday. | Tour company Thomas Cook had four flights due to leave to and from Majorca tomorrow and a large number on Saturday. |
| A spokeswoman said: "Our people out in Majorca are now attempting to contact holidaymakers in the hotels to tell them what's going on." | A spokeswoman said: "Our people out in Majorca are now attempting to contact holidaymakers in the hotels to tell them what's going on." |
| 'Big fire' | 'Big fire' |
| A Foreign Office spokesman said that so far there had been no reports of any British people being injured in the blast. | A Foreign Office spokesman said that so far there had been no reports of any British people being injured in the blast. |
| The explosion at a Civil Guard base in Palmanova has been blamed on the separatist group Eta, which wants an independent homeland in Spain's Basque region. | The explosion at a Civil Guard base in Palmanova has been blamed on the separatist group Eta, which wants an independent homeland in Spain's Basque region. |
| Helen Halstead, 30, from Manchester, was eating in a restaurant when she heard the blast. | Helen Halstead, 30, from Manchester, was eating in a restaurant when she heard the blast. |
| "As soon as I heard the noise I ran around the corner and found there was quite a big fire in a car. There was debris around the car and in the road and smoke in the sky," she said. | "As soon as I heard the noise I ran around the corner and found there was quite a big fire in a car. There was debris around the car and in the road and smoke in the sky," she said. |
| "There was a guy on the floor and they were trying to resuscitate him. Because it was outside the Civil Guard office, they were there straight away, cordoning off the road and moving people out of the way." | "There was a guy on the floor and they were trying to resuscitate him. Because it was outside the Civil Guard office, they were there straight away, cordoning off the road and moving people out of the way." |