Madrid - Three Spanish air force pilots were killed Tuesday in an accident involving two Mirage F-1 fighter-bomber planes, Defence Ministry sources said.

The planes, which were on exercise flights, crashed in a private property and a nearby terrain near Albacete in the south-east.

Witnesses said they heard an explosion and saw fire and smoke from several kilometres away. It was not clear whether the planes had collided in the air.

One of the planes had two and the other one pilot. The three bodies were retrieved from the wreckage. The crash did not cause further injuries or damage.

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Barcelona - The Neapolitan crime organization Camorra is extending its activities in Spain, which has become one of its main bases abroad, police sources said Monday after one of the Camorra's top drug lords was detained in Barcelona.

Salvatore Zazo, 52, who is regarded as the leader of the Camorra clan Mazzarella, had purchased businesses in Spain in order to settle there, Spanish police said.

Zazo was detained at a Barcelona call centre in the company of a bodyguard on Saturday. He carried 4,000 euros (5,400 dollars) in cash and four mobile phones.

Madrid - Spanish football giants Valencia announced on Monday that goalkeeper Renan would be out of action for around a month.

The 23 year-old Brazilian tore a muscle in his left thigh in Sunday's 3-2 defeat away to Athletic Bilbao, and will not be back in action until late February.

Therefore, Valencia are looking for another goalkeeper in the January transfer window. The fourth-placed club does not appear to have much confidence in 22-year-old reserve Vicente Guaita, who came on for Renan in Bilbao and looked shaky.

Madrid  - Spain suffered its first avalanche victim of the year when a 24-year-old man was killed in the Sierra de Guadarrama mountains north of the capital Madrid, local media reported.