Two killed in Spain blast in suspected gender-based violence incident

Two people - a man and woman - died in an explosion in the town of Orio in northern Spain, the Basque regional security department said on Tuesday, and media cited authorities as saying the incident was being investigated as likely gender-based violence. A department spokesperson said the blast took place around 5.30 p.m.

Two people - a man and woman - died in an explosion in the town of Orio in northern Spain, the Basque regional security department said on Tuesday, and media cited authorities as saying the incident was being investigated as likely gender-based violence.

A department spokesperson said the blast took place around 5.30 p.m. (1530 GMT) in the fishing town of around 6,000 people near the border with France and that there was no indication at the time that any other people had been hurt. The head of the Basque region, Inigo Urkullu, lamented what he described as a "tragic event supposedly caused by gender-based violence," without giving more details, and asked for a minute of silence during a political rally, according to several local media outlets.

News agency EFE, quoting police sources, reported the preliminary investigation pointed toward a package held by one of the victims being the source of the explosion that occurred on a sidewalk bench not far from a children's playground.

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