A lady has died after a knifeman slashed her throat and repeatedly stabbed her in broad daylight at a hotspot popular with British tourists.
The killing unfolded at around 11am yesterday within the Esplugues de Llobregat area of Barcelona, Spain.
The alleged attacker was reportedly seen by onlookers showing ‘signs of nervousness’ and brandishing a big knife openly in Joan Miró street.
He later approached the girl, stabbing her multiple times and cutting her throat before he fled the scene.
Blood might be seen along the road as emergency services rushed to the scene to attempt to save the girl.
Paramedics treated her but she died from her injuries.
Join for all of the newest stories
Start your day informed with Metro’s News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.
A big-scale manhunt was quickly launched to locate the suspect. He was detained by Catalan police nearby shortly afterwards.
Images taken within the aftermath of the attack showed a forensic tent concealing the girl’s body.
Neither the girl nor her suspected attacker have been identified at this stage.
It has also not been revealed if the pair knew one another, nevertheless Catalan police are treating the killing as gender-based violence.
Officers are also examining if the suspect attacked a person who was treated for minor injuries in the world on the time.
After the news emerged, the Esplugues City Council, which covers the world, said it ‘deeply regrets the violent death of an individual in town’ and expressed its condolences to the girl’s family and family members.
‘Out of respect for the continuing investigation and all those affected, we ask for prudence and responsibility, and to avoid spreading unverified information,’ it added.
It also expressed ‘concern about this serious event’ which it said affects the world’s ‘coexistence and citizen security’.
While the precise motivation of the attack stays unclear, violence against women is a serious issue in Spain.
A report from the Mediterranean country’s monitoring agency for domestic and gender-based violence revealed that 49 women and one man were killed by partners or ex-partners last 12 months.
Of the ladies killed, 11 had filed a previous grievance, equalling the ‘lowest percentage on record’.
Five of the ladies were protected by restraining orders after they died.
Nevertheless, seven of the 11 who filed police reports were still living with their abuser after they were killed.
When examining essentially the most frequent crime scene from the records, which date back to 2003, it emerged that in almost three quarters of cases the girl shared it along with her abuser.
Get in contact with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
MORE: 4-year-old girl gifted huge surprise after teenagers stole her egg stand
MORE: Prolific shoplifter banned from every Tesco inside 60 miles
MORE: Man stabbed within the stomach inside McDonald’s with 4 teens arrested