Tens of thousands in Spain's Basque region link hands in 76-mile human chain

MADRID – Tens of thousands of people have joined hands to form a human chain 123 kilometers (76 miles) long in support of greater Basque regional independence from the rest of Spain.

Television images show how people began to link up at noon Sunday forming a continuous line along a road linking the northern cities of Durango and Pamplona.

Organizers Gure Esku Dago, which translates from the Basque language as "It's in our hands" — say around 100,000 people are needed to cover the distance, but no independent attendance verification is available.

In September 2013, more than 1 million people showed their support for Catalan independence by joining hands to form a 400-kilometer (250-mile) human chain across that northeastern region, which also harbors a strong secessionist movement.