Woman and her father stabbed to death on busy Spanish beach

A 42-year-old woman and her father were stabbed to death in front of dozens of people at a beach in Laredo, in the northern region of Cantabria, on Sunday evening.

Mercedes García and her father Gabino García, 71, were attacked by a man who is believed to have had a relationship with the former some time ago, according to some police sources. Other sources in Laredo said the killer had no connection to his victims and was simply unbalanced.

The man appears to have lain in wait for Mercedes, according to eyewitnesses who saw him run across the sand dunes at La Salvé beach, then watch as his victim reached a bathing area located in the middle section of the sands. He then attacked her with a machete, killing her on the spot, and seriously injuring her father, who ran to her rescue.

The killer was chased down by an off-duty policeman

Despite receiving immediate emergency treatment from lifeguards and a doctor who was at the beach, the father died in hospital at around 9pm.

The killer was chased down and apprehended by an off-duty policeman, before being taken into Civil Guard custody.

The attack took place in a busy section of the beach, near a surfing school. Children reportedly began screaming that a woman was being killed and that a man was bleeding.

The alleged killer’s identity has not been released, although sources said he hails from the Basque city of Bilbao.