The Policía Nacional in the city of Málaga suspect that bank robbers used gunpowder destined for fireworks to blow up two cashpoints in a bank on Avenida de Andalucía.

The explosions, which rattled windows and woke up neighbours, occurred in the early hours of Friday the 17th (00.30h). Thieves were able to get away with over 40,000 euros, even though many banknotes in the machine were incinerated in the explosions.

Soon, 112 was receiving calls from people living in the vicinity, saying that they had heard two explosions, one after the other within a matter of seconds.

Some eyewitness reported having seen three individual carrying sacks, running to get into a car and race from the scene. The driver of the getaway car was waiting with the engine running on Calle Compositor Lehmberg Ruiz.

The police immediately sent out patrols, attempting to cut off escape routes out of the city, however it appears that the thieves managed to reach the autovia and head in the direction of Torremolinos, doing around 200 kph during some moments of their escape, but not before ramming a police car.

This bank raid bears similarities with one carried out in the early hours of the 3rd of December in the quarter of the city known as El Palo, targeting a Cajamar branch on Avenida Juan Sebastián Elcano, right next to the municipal market. The force of the blast caused considerable damage to the interior of the bank. Furthermore, this bank branch is situated on the ground floor of a building where eight families live.

(News: City & Metropolitan Area, Costa del Sol, Málaga, Andalucia)