KAMEDO Report 90: Terrorist Attacks in Madrid, Spain, 2004

Abstract

This is a descriptive study of the medical responses to the bombings by terrorists in Madrid on 11 March 2004. The nature of the event, the human damage, and the responses are described. It describes the: (1) nature and operations associated with the alarm; (2) assignment of responding units and personnel; (3) establishment and operations of casualty collection points; (4) medical transport and distribution of injured victims; (5) prioritization and command; (6) hospital care; (7) psychosocial care; (8) identification of the dead; and (9) police investigation and actions. Each of these descriptions is discussed in terms of what currently is known and the implications for future planning, preparedness, and response.

Effectiveness of finite-element modelling of damage and injuries for explosions inside trains

“…Overview of the ten devices that exploded on the commuter trains in Madrid. Adopted and modified from Bolling et al (2007).…”

“…Another study showed that there were 78 attacks, with at least 10 deaths and/or 100 injuries, against the rail-bound sector in the period 1970 to 2009. This has resulted in 3,049 fatally and 5,435 nonfatally injured (Holgersson & Bj€ ornstig, 2014), even without counting for the major attacks in Madrid (Bolling et al, 2007), London (Lockey et. al., 2005), and Tokyo (Okumura et al, 2005).…”

Web-Based Weapons of Mass Destruction Training for Transit Police

“…They also underscore the important role of emergency preparedness in minimizing morbidity, mortality, and structural damage (Sahm 2006;Okumura, Ninomiya, and Ohta 2003;Bolling et al 2007;Intelligence and Security Committee 2006). Beyond the immediate impact on the intended target, "transit terrorism" can instill fear and dread among the transit ridership and public at large (Litman 2005).…”

“…The attack was perpetrated by Al Qaeda operatives, who detonated remotely-controlled explosives (Sahm 2006). Although Madrid's emergency response plan was put into effect within an hour of the attack, the fatality rate was high, with close to 200 individuals killed and over 1,000 others injured (Bolling et al 2007). Officials reported that the rapid and coordinated efforts of transit police, municipal agencies, and the national army helped to prevent even more deaths and casualties.…”

Studying Simulations with Distributed Cognition

“…Several management problems have been identified in response to MIs, such as late, insufficient or uncontrolled distribution of casualties, flow of information and communication, and inadequate methods for triage (Nilsson, 2013). Many of the management problems have been related to inappropriate training and education for situations where routine knowledge and everyday experience are insufficient (Bolling et al, 2007;Juffermans & Bierens, 2010). Furthermore, evidence shows that training is essential for effective disaster response management, where a rapid and correct decisionmaking process in the stress and chaos of the moment is of the essence (Auf der Heide, 2006;Brannan, White, & Bezanson, 2008;Pattillo, 2006).…”