Spain’s Civil Guard said two of its officers were killed on Friday after their boats collided while chasing suspected drug traffickers in the Atlantic.
Spain’s proximity to Morocco, a major producer of cannabis, puts it on the frontline of anti-drug missions, with fatal accidents regularly occurring in chases between police and traffickers.
The Civil Guard said the accident happened off the southern province of Huelva. Two officers died — one instantly and another later — one was seriously hurt and another lightly injured.
A “shocked” Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez sent his condolences on X.
The Civil Guard’s main AUGC union said in a statement that the tragedy was “the direct consequence of a situation of risk that was documented, analysed and formally conveyed to the administration, which chose not to act”.
