The officers were responding to an earlier shooting in which a 17-year-old girl was wounded when they discovered a partially open backpack with a flashing light. A Spanish National Police officer has been killed and a bomb disposal expert seriously injured after a backpack exploded during a police operation in Oviedo, northern Spain, on Tuesday morning. The officers had been deployed to investigate an earlier shooting in which a 17-year-old girl was wounded when they discovered a suspicious backpack inside a building in the city's Villafría neighbourhood. The explosion occurred at around 9 am on Rafael Urrusti Street. According to Spanish newspaper El Mundo, the backpack was partially open and had a flashing light, prompting officers to call in the police bomb disposal unit, known as TEDAX. A sub-inspector from the National Police's Canine Unit approached the bag to examine it. The device detonated at that moment, killing him at the scene. A TEDAX officer accompanying him was seriously injured and taken to the Central University Hospital of Asturias. According to information obtained by El Mundo, the injured bomb disposal expert suffered the amputation of one leg. The police union Jupol said he remained in critical condition and that it was closely monitoring his medical condition. The police deployment followed an alert about a shooting reported shortly after 7 am, in which a 17-year-old girl was injured. According to information gathered by Jupol, officers had responded to a call concerning a young woman who had been shot and whose father was attempting to take her to hospital. When they reached the building, they found a backpack containing an explosive device in the entrance area. The subsequent explosion caused severe injuries to the officers, turning the response to the initial shooting into a major emergency. The circumstances surrounding the shooting, the explosive device and the events leading up to the blast remain unclear. The supplied reports have not established whether the shooting and the backpack explosion were connected. The National Police described the incident as a “serious incident” and deployed a large operation in the area. Rafael Urrusti Street and the surrounding locality were cordoned off as authorities responded to the explosion. Oviedo Mayor Alfredo Canteli was also heading to the scene to gather information, amid continuing uncertainty over what had happened. Jupol expressed “deep sorrow and dismay” over the death of the canine unit officer, extending its condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. The union also offered its support to the injured TEDAX officer and his family as he received treatment. The blast has left investigators with two serious incidents to examine: the shooting that wounded the teenager and the explosion that killed a police officer during the subsequent response. Further details about the explosive device and those potentially responsible have not yet been established. Yuvraj Tyagi is a Senior Copy Editor, specializing in security, national, international and defense affairs. With extensive experience covering the Ka... View More