Walter Finch
Four people have died in a horrific head-on collision during a high-speed police chase on the Costa del Sol.
A POLICIA Nacional officer and three suspected pharmacy robbers were killed when their vehicles collided and burst into flames on the A-7 motorway near Torremolinos in the early hours of this morning.
The tragedy unfolded at around 5:30am after the three criminals had allegedly rammed their car into a pharmacy front to steal drugs and cash.
Police immediately gave chase as the thieves fled eastwards from Malaga city centre, but the pursuit turned deadly when the suspects began driving the wrong way down the busy A-7 coastal highway.
The fleeing criminals’ high-powered vehicle smashed head-on into an oncoming police car, causing both to explode into flames in the violent impact.
Emergency services from three fire stations – Churriana, Carretera de Cadiz and Central Martiricos – raced to the scene to free the trapped occupants from the burning wreckage.
Firefighters managed to extract three people from one vehicle, whilst local police officers pulled the driver from the other car. However, all four victims died from their injuries.
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The crash has been described as the most serious road accident in Malaga province so far this year.
Guardia Civil officers initially attended the scene, but the investigation has now been taken over by the Policia Nacional.
CCTV footage from the DGT traffic authority’s security cameras along the motorway will be crucial in piecing together exactly what happened during the fatal chase.
The A-7 is the main coastal motorway connecting the Costa del Sol resorts and is heavily used by both residents and tourists travelling between Malaga, Marbella and Gibraltar.
