The leader of the Spanish opposition, Mariano Rajoy, and other politicians have survived a helicopter crash outside Madrid.
The US-made helicopter had just taken off from a bullring in Mostoles when it crashed, said Madrid regional government president Esperanza Aguirre. He was in the helicopter along with Mr Rajoy.
"We could have been killed, but we are fine," Ms Aguirre told reporters. He added that Mr Rajoy suffered a slight injury to his hand.
Mr Rajoy ran for prime minister as the candidate of the then-governing Popular Party in March 2004 elections, but lost to Socialist Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.
The elections were held three days after a string of train bombings in Madrid claimed by Muslim militants killed 191 people and wounded 1,500.
Television footage showed the helicopter taking off from the middle of the bullring, slowly clearing the outer wall and then swirling as it went down. The wall appeared to be about 30-40ft high.
The regional government said the cause of the crash is under investigation and it could not confirm news reports that the helicopter's rear rotor blade had broken.
TV footage also showed people rushing to the wreckage of the Bell 206 Twin Ranger helicopter to help extricate Mr Rajoy and the others.
Mr Rajoy walked away from the crash site and was driven to a hospital. "It happened right after we took off. Thanks to that, we fell a very short distance," Ms Aguirre said.
"It was all just a scare, thank God." The helicopter, which belonged to the Madrid regional government, did not appear to graze the wall as reported earlier by Spanish National Radio.
"The helicopter was destroyed. Imagine if we had fallen from the distance at which we had planned to fly," Ms Aguirre said. The mayor of Mostoles and a TV cameraman were also in the helicopter, along with a two-man crew, Ms Aguirre said.
Mr Rajoy and Ms Aguirre were in Mostoles to visit the headquarters of a new branch of the regional security forces. Zapatero, in Rome for talks with Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, said he talked to Rajoy to express his solidarity, adding that the opposition leader told him he was feeling well. Berlusconi also sent his best wishes.
AP