Spanish police officer killed, another critically injured in Oviedo blast

A Spanish police officer was killed and another critically injured on Tuesday when an explosive device detonated as officers were handling a backpack found outside a building in the northern city of Oviedo.

A Spanish police officer was killed and another critically injured on Tuesday when an explosive device detonated as officers were handling a backpack found outside a building in the northern city of Oviedo.

The officers had been responding to a reported shooting linked to a dispute between two families, local authorities said. A 17-year-old woman was wounded in the shooting but was no longer in danger, a municipal spokesperson said.

Police union JUPOL said the officers found a backpack containing an explosive device at the building’s entrance. The device exploded as they moved it away from the building in an attempt to defuse it.

The dead officer was a member of the National Police’s canine unit, while the injured officer belonged to its bomb disposal unit, JUPOL said. The injured officer suffered the amputation of a leg and was in a very serious condition, the union added.

The explosion occurred in the Villafría neighbourhood of Oviedo, on Rafael R. Urrusti Street, according to JUPOL.

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The National Police launched an operation to investigate the incident and locate the suspected person responsible. The circumstances surrounding the shooting and the explosive device remained under investigation.

Oviedo Mayor Alfredo Canteli went to the scene to obtain information about the incident, according to municipal sources cited by Spanish media.

The opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo described the events as heartbreaking, while Spanish police expressed condolences to the dead officer’s family and colleagues.