Spanish police officer killed, another critically injured in explosive device blast in Oviedo

The officers were responding to a shooting during a dispute between two families when a bomb found in a backpack exploded as they tried to remove it.

A Spanish police officer was killed and another seriously injured on Tuesday when an explosive device went off while they were responding to a violent dispute between two families in the northern city of Oviedo, local authorities said.

Police union JUPOL said in a statement the officer who died was a member of the canine unit of the National Police. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue/Representative Image)

During the dispute, a young woman was shot and injured by a man in the early hours on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the local council said, adding that she was no longer in danger.

Police union JUPOL said in a statement the officer who died was a member of the canine unit of the National Police, while the injured officer, belonging to the bomb disposal unit, remained in a very serious condition after losing a leg.

The union said that upon arriving at the scene of the shooting on the outskirts of Oviedo, police found a backpack at the building's entrance containing an explosive device, which detonated as officers took it away from the building to defuse it.