Two police among six killed in Spain as truck rams into checkpoint
A freight truck hit a police checkpoint in southern Spain early on Tuesday, killing six people including two officers, the regional government said.
Three other people were injured in the accident, which happened at around 4:30 am (0330 GMT) on a highway near the town of Los Palacios in the province of Seville, the government of Andalusia said in a statement.
All three injured belong to the Civil Guards police force, the force said in a message on X, formerly Twitter.
"I would like to send all my love and solidarity to the families of the people who died, two of them police officers, in a road check," Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez wrote on X, formerly Twitter, adding he wished a "speedy recovery for the injured in this tragic accident".
Quiero trasladar todo mi cariño y solidaridad a las familias de las personas fallecidas, dos de ellas guardias civiles, en un control en carreteras de la @guardiacivil en la provincia de Sevilla.
Mis deseos de una pronta recuperación para los heridos en este trágico accidente.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) March 19, 2024
Spanish media said the officers who were run over by the truck were carrying out routine checks against drug trafficking. The driver of the truck has been detained and tested negative for drugs and alcohol, the reports said.
A representative of the central government in the province of Seville, Francisco Toscano, told news radio Cadena Ser that the driver appears to have been "distracted" and accidentally hit the police checkpoint.
The accident comes after two Civil Guards were killed in February after being hit by a drug traffickers' boat during a chase in the harbour at Barbate, near the major southern port of Cádiz, in Andalusia.
READ ALSO: Spain arrests eight after civil guards die in drug chase
Spain is one of the main entry points for drugs into Europe given its close ties with Latin America, which is the main source of cocaine, and its proximity to Morocco, a key source of cannabis resin.
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Three other people were injured in the accident, which happened at around 4:30 am (0330 GMT) on a highway near the town of Los Palacios in the province of Seville, the government of Andalusia said in a statement.
All three injured belong to the Civil Guards police force, the force said in a message on X, formerly Twitter.
"I would like to send all my love and solidarity to the families of the people who died, two of them police officers, in a road check," Prime Minster Pedro Sánchez wrote on X, formerly Twitter, adding he wished a "speedy recovery for the injured in this tragic accident".
Quiero trasladar todo mi cariño y solidaridad a las familias de las personas fallecidas, dos de ellas guardias civiles, en un control en carreteras de la @guardiacivil en la provincia de Sevilla.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) March 19, 2024
Mis deseos de una pronta recuperación para los heridos en este trágico accidente.
Spanish media said the officers who were run over by the truck were carrying out routine checks against drug trafficking. The driver of the truck has been detained and tested negative for drugs and alcohol, the reports said.
A representative of the central government in the province of Seville, Francisco Toscano, told news radio Cadena Ser that the driver appears to have been "distracted" and accidentally hit the police checkpoint.
The accident comes after two Civil Guards were killed in February after being hit by a drug traffickers' boat during a chase in the harbour at Barbate, near the major southern port of Cádiz, in Andalusia.
READ ALSO: Spain arrests eight after civil guards die in drug chase
Spain is one of the main entry points for drugs into Europe given its close ties with Latin America, which is the main source of cocaine, and its proximity to Morocco, a key source of cannabis resin.
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