3/11 - Madrid
The explosion in the train near Atocha Station (the second one) woke me up. The house where I live is next to the rail. My bed and all the building moved and a huge sound was heard. Then, I turned on the TV and the radio to try to find out what was happening. A burnt-plastic smell and an opaque cloud entered in my house when I opened the window, which is at the other side of the building. I committed the big error to go down to the street and I saw a train with six wagons and three big holes. People walking down the rails and other lying down on the ground. Pieces of the train in the street and dead people trapped in the twisted irons
Fernando, Madrid, Spain
It was 7:40 a.m. when the train from Getafe arrived at Atocha train station. As the doors opened, the first bomb exploded in a different train and platform. The train I was in, which I guess was some 50 to 75 m from the bomb, was shaken. People got off quickly but still I feel we all kept calm. It was only 1 minute later that 2 more bombs exploded in rapid succession. It was at this point that people rushed out of the station. People crying. It was a shocking image. To be honest, I didn’t stay any longer to see what happened.
Francisco Torres, Madrid - Spain