Five Navarre police officers killed in AP-8 accident in Gipuzkoa. A van carrying five Navarre police officers collided with a tanker truck on the AP-8 in Gipuzkoa. All occupants of the van died. The road is completely closed, and an investigation is underway.
On Wednesday morning, a serious accident occurred on the AP-8 motorway near Elgoibar (Gipuzkoa) involving a police van and a tanker truck. Five officers of the Policía Foral de Navarra, who were en route to a training session at the Ertzaintza base in Iurreta (Biscay), were killed in the collision. According to the Security Department of the Basque Country government, the accident happened around 9:15 a.m. at kilometer 69 of the road heading towards Bilbao.
All the police officers in the van died at the scene. The truck driver was injured and taken to hospital. The causes of the collision have not yet been determined—Ertzaintza has launched an investigation into the incident. Due to the accident, traffic on the AP-8 towards Bilbao was completely halted, causing significant congestion and hampering the work of emergency services.
The deceased officers were on their way to scheduled training, highlighting the official nature of their trip. According to local authorities, rescue workers, police, and medics were at the scene. Regional authorities have expressed condolences to the families of the victims and stressed the importance of clarifying all the details of the tragedy.
Similar accidents involving official vehicles and trucks have previously occurred in Spain. Recently in Huesca, a collision between a van and a truck also resulted in casualties and injuries— details of that incident are available here. Such incidents raise questions about safety on intercity highways and the transport conditions for emergency service personnel.
For reference: Policía Foral de Navarra is the regional police responsible for security in Navarre. Ertzaintza is the police force of the Basque Country and one of the oldest autonomous police agencies in Spain. The AP-8 is a key highway connecting cities in northern Spain and providing transport links between Biscay, Gipuzkoa, and France. In recent years, several major accidents have been recorded on this section, leading to increased monitoring and preventive measures on the route.
