Gangs clash in Madrid tube

One person was stabbed to death and at least seven were injured when fighting broke out yesterday between two politically opposed gangs in an underground railway station in Madrid, officials said.

A man died from stab injuries to the heart, and another four were hospitalized — one in serious condition — emergency service spokesman Javier Ayuso said.

First aid workers closed off Paseo de las Delicias, an important Madrid thoroughfare, to set up a mobile hospital to treat the injured, Ayuso said.

Some people suffered from gas inhalation, although it was not clear if this was from personal defense dispensers or fire extinguishers, Ayuso said.

"It was a very violent fight in a confined space," Ayuso said.

Press reports said the clash occurred when a right-wing gang on the way to an anti-immigration rally encountered a left-wing gang in the station.

Among the injured were a policeman who was hit on the head with a bottle and a female metro attendant who suffered an anxiety attack, Ayuso said.

Alfredo Prada, the community justice spokesman for Madrid's local government, condemned the violence.

"Madrid is an open and integrated region where there is no room for racist, xenophobic or extremist expressions," Prada said.

Several hundred people later gathered in Madrid's central Sol square to protest against the stabbing and racism.