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Madrid to mark 7th anniversary of train bombings

12 March 2011 04:49 (UTC +04:00)

Baku â€“ APA. Friday marks the seventh anniversary of the Madrid train bombings -- coordinated attacks on four morning-rush commuter trains that killed 191 people and wounded more than 1,800, APA reports quoting CNN.
In keeping with recent years, memorial ceremonies are expected to be low-key.
The mayor of Madrid will inaugurate a monument to the victims who were killed or injured at Pozo station, where one of the four trains was bombed on March 11, 2004.
Spanish courts have convicted 14 Islamic militants for their roles in the attacks, along with four Spaniards, the latter for trafficking in explosives used in the attacks.
The National Court in 2008 determined that the terrorists convicted in the attacks did not have sufficient funds to pay damages to the victims, the ministry said.
The Spanish Interior Ministry said Thursday the government has paid, since 2004, a total of 314 million euros (about $434 million) in indemnities to the victims or their surviving family members. Some of these payments went to non-Spaniards among the victims, and involved analyzing inheritance laws in 16 other nations.
The government has also provided 3.3 million euros ($4.5 million) to organizations that have special programs of attention for the victims.