MADRID, June 3 (Xinhua) -- Five officers from the Navarre regional police were killed on Wednesday after their van collided with a tanker truck on a freeway near Elgoibar in Spain's Basque region, the Spanish authorities said.
The accident occurred at the junction of the AP-8 and AP-1 motorways in the northern province of Gipuzkoa. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
All five officers died at the scene. The tanker driver was taken to hospital with injuries, according to the Basque regional police force, the Ertzaintza.
Maria Chivite, president of the regional government of Navarre, expressed condolences on social media. Spanish media said it was one of the deadliest road accidents involving law enforcement officers in recent years.
The crash led to the closure of the AP-8 freeway in both directions for several hours, causing major traffic disruptions on the key route linking Bilbao and San Sebastian. ■
