A police officer has been killed and a colleague seriously injured after a suspected improvised explosive device hidden inside a rucksack detonated in the northern Spanish city of Oviedo. The blast occurred on Rafael R. Urrusti Street in the Villafría district, following a shooting earlier on Tuesday morning in which a young woman was injured and taken to hospital.
Sequence of Events
Local residents reported hearing three gunshots at around 7.30am, prompting emergency services to rush to the scene. Shortly afterwards, a suspicious rucksack was discovered in the entrance of the building where the shooting had occurred, according to La Voz de Asturias.
Bomb disposal experts were called to assess the package. However, as they began their examination, the rucksack detonated, fatally wounding one officer and leaving another with severe injuries.
Emergency Response and Investigation
Emergency teams comprising national officers, local police and firefighters were swiftly deployed to the scene, establishing a 'double security cordon' to safeguard members of the public while an investigation gets under way.
JUPOL, Spain's biggest and most influential National Police trade union, verified the officer's passing in a social media statement, declaring: "One police officer dead and another seriously injured following an explosion in the Villafría neighborhood of Oviedo."
The statement continued: "On behalf of JUPOL, we extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the police officer who died. All our love and respect during these difficult times."
This is a breaking news story, with updates to follow.
