By Raquel Castillo
MADRID (Reuters) - A small bomb exploded at a popularholiday resort on the Costa del Sol in southern Spain early onTuesday but caused no injuries or damage, government officialssaid.
The bomb went off just past midnight on the beach below thebusy promenade at Torremolinos which is lined with bars,restaurants and hotels.
One person was treated by emergency services for shockafter the blast, Spain's El Mundo newspaper website said.
It followed four small explosions at holiday resorts onSpain's northern coast on July 20 which local authoritiesblamed on Basque separatists ETA.
Spanish police are on alert for ETA attacks in theAndalusia area of southern Spain, popular among foreignholidaymakers, after finding evidence last week that theseparatists were planning attacks in the region.
ETA (Basque Homeland and Freedom) has often set off mainlysmall bombs in Spanish resorts during the busy summer holidayseason to target the tourist industry as part of itsfour-decade fight for an independent Basque homeland.
There was no warning call and no one claimed responsibilityfor Tuesday's explosion, government spokesman Juan Jose LopezGarzon said.
Spain's Cadena Ser radio station said police had found bombmaking material, a pistol and ammunition in Torremolinos butgovernment officials were not able to confirm this.
People were strolling on the La Carihuela promenade whenthe bomb went off, leaving a metre-wide hole in the sand.
"There was practically no damage," the spokesman said.
Government officials said they remained on alert forpossible ETA attacks and were searching the area.
Torremolinos Mayor Pedro Fernandez Montes played down theattack and called on tourists not to panic.
"Obviously people are frightened ... above all the Britishtourists. You know what the English tabloids are like, theyexaggerate everything, and say there's been a bomb on the Costadel Sol, when really it wasn't a bomb. There's just a littlehole in the sand, something that's not very big," FernandezMontes said on Spanish National Radio.
Since 1968, the separatist guerrillas have killed over 800people, mainly in bombings and shootings. Polls show mostBasques do not want an independent state.
(Additional reporting by Andrew Hay; Editing by RobertHart)