Soldiers' wives and parents clutched each other for support and wept as Spain's royal family and prime minister joined them at a funeral for 17 peacekeepers killed in Afghanistan this week.
The Spanish troops died in a helicopter crash on Tuesday on an exercise near the western city of Herat, in what the government suspects was an accident.
Before the soldiers' colleagues carried in the 17 flag-draped coffins to a military band's funeral march, the royal family greeted dozens of relatives. Queen Sofia affectionately hugged and kissed the mourners.
One of the widows, Sergeant Susana Perez, had been serving in Afghanistan with her husband Sergeant Alfredo Francisco Joga, when he died in the crash.
Government ministers and members of the opposition broke off their vacations to attend the funeral, held in the sun-drenched courtyard of army headquarters in central Madrid.
After a Roman Catholic funeral mass, holy water was sprinkled on the rows of coffins and King Juan Carlos, red-eyed and in military uniform, laid a medal on each.
Spain has about 850 troops in Afghanistan with the NATO-led peacekeeping operation, after sending an extra 500 to boost security ahead of elections on September 18.
The crash was the second air disaster for the Spanish military in Afghanistan. In 2003, 62 troops were killed when the plane bringing them home crashed in Turkey.
That accident sparked fierce criticism of the previous Popular Party government, which was accused of using second-rate planes and of misidentifying bodies.
The year-old Socialist government, which joined the criticism of the previous government over the first crash, has emphasised the care it has taken over the identification process and offered DNA testing.
The crash has led to little questioning over Spain's role in Afghanistan which is broadly supported, unlike Spain's role in the US-led war in Iraq.
However, Defence Minister Jose Bono will appear in parliament next Wednesday where he is expected to be grilled by the opposition Popular Party. Their defence spokesman was quoted as saying on Saturday that troops in Afghanistan were engaged in "war missions" rather than the humanitarian mission for which parliament agreed to send them.
Prime Minister Jose Luis Zapatero, who pulled the troops from Iraq in one of his first moves in office, says he is committed to supporting peacekeeping in Afghanistan.
Herat is in a relatively secure part of Afghanistan. The Taliban and their Islamic allies are less active there than in eastern and southern parts of the country.
NATO's International Security Assistance Force has said the
crash was an accident. A Taliban commander said guerrillas had shot
down the helicopter but offered no proof.
