The Spanish public, politicians and media were quick to draw parallels between yesterday's attacks in London and the bombing atrocities in Madrid last year that killed 191 people and injured more than 1,500.

"London is living through its own March 11," Telemadrid, the Spanish broadaster, said as it showed live coverage of the unfolding events in Britain.

Edward Owen, a Times correspondent who lives in Madrid said: "There is enormous sympathy among ordinary Spanish people for London.

"People in Madrid yesterday saw on television exactly the sort of scenes, of people emerging injured from train stations, which occurred in their city last year, images that brought back terrible memories."

The British Embassy in Madrid has been inundated with calls from Spanish people conveying their shock, prayers and sympathy while floral tributes to the dead and injured have been placed outside the building.

Thousands of names have been added to a book of condolence, with the Spanish Foreign Minister, Miguel Angel Moratinos, being one of the first to add his signature.

English newspapers have sold out across Spanish newsstands as the large British ex-patriot community desperately seeks details of the attacks.

Owen added that there was incredulity among some Spanish people that London was not on the highest level of terror alert as world leaders gathered in Scotland for the G8 Summit.

There were also warnings that for many of those injured by yesterday’s bombings that the long road to recovery had only begun and that the physical and psychological scars left by the violence and terrible scenes witnessed will take years to heal.

On March 11 2004, ten devices, concealed in backpacks, exploded in the Spanish capital within 10 minutes. Four packed commuter trains were targeted shortly before 8am and during the height of the morning rush hour.

The London bombings, which killed at least 50 people, were similarly co-ordinated, with four devices used on the London transport system: three on The tube network and one on a double-decker bus. The explosions occurred between 8.51am and 9.47am.

There was also an unverifiable claim on an Islamic militant website yesterday, where al-Qaeda appeared to claim responsibility for the London attacks.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Phoebe Caldwell wins Times/Sternberg Award
• Raging against fake pop has its own pitfalls
• How a voice for everyone led to stalemate