Blasts at diplomatic missions in Venezuela 

www.channelnewsasia.com First created : 26 February 2003 1116 hrs (SST) 0316 hrs (GMT) Last modified : 26 February 2003 1116 hrs (SST) 0316 hrs (GMT)

Explosions outside the Spanish and Colombian diplomatic missions in Caracas have left five people injured less than two days after Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused the two nations of meddling in his country's crisis.

Three people were slightly wounded when the blast near the Colombian consulate sprayed shards of debris and ripped off the building's steel and glass facade.Advertisement Fragments from a smaller explosion minutes earlier at the nearby Spanish embassy co-operation office hurt two people.

No one has claimed immediate responsibility for the attacks.

On Sunday, Chavez accused Spain and the US of siding with his enemies and warned Colombia he might break off diplomatic ties over accusations that he met with that country's Marxist rebels.

Leaflets scattered at both sites were signed by the "Bolivarian Liberation Force - the Coordinadora Simon Bolivar urban militias."

The Coordinadora Simon Bolivar is a known radical Pro-Chavez group.

Venezuela's government quickly denied its sympathisers were behind the blasts.