Barcelona bomb injures three

BARCELONA, Spain (CNN) -- Three people have been injured by a powerful explosion in front of a bank in the centre of Barcelona.

Authorities said the blast happened at around 2:30 a.m. local time (0030 GMT) on Thursday, in front of the La Caixa bank.

The blast sent glass and debris flying. Two of the injured needed hospital treatment.

The explosion came hours after Spanish police deactivated a massive car bomb at Malaga airport after an anonymous warning.

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A bomb squad found a car carrying explosives in a car park at the airport, a spokeswoman for the Interior Ministry told Reuters.

"It has been deactivated. There was between 50 and 60 kg (110 and 130 pounds) of explosives," she said.

Authorities were warned about the device by a telephone caller claiming to represent Basque separatist group, ETA.

Malaga airport serves major beach resorts on Spain's southern coast and is one of the busiest in the country.

Police had been on alert for possible attacks by ETA in tourist destinations after a suspected member of the group was killed in the coastal town of Torrevieja, near Alicante, when explosives she was handling blew up on Tuesday.

ETA has killed 34 people since it ended a ceasefire in late 1999, drawing widespread public condemnation, and the group warned in March it would target the tourism industry, which accounts for about 10 percent of Spain's economy.

About 800 people have been killed since ETA launched its violent campaign for Basque independence in 1968.