A search is underway for an 11-year-old boy who killed himself while playing football

Spanish police are looking for a man accused of killing an 11-year-old boy with a sharp object on the football field, local media reported.

The deceased was said to be playing with other children when he was attacked by a person wearing a hat.

The attack took place in Mocejón, near the city of Toledo, in central Spain on Sunday morning.

The suspect, reported to be an 18-year-old man, fled the scene. There is a huge search.

Broadcaster RTVE said government sources confirmed that the attack took place around 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT). It said a number of security guards were searching for the suspect and a helicopter had joined them.

Crowds of people gathered outside city hall for a minute’s silence in honor of the boy on Sunday afternoon.

The mayor of Mocejón, Concepción Cedillo, told the press that: “It is a sad day, and a city that has been broken by pain, and if the killing of people is sad, how much more is the killing of an innocent child who was playing football with his friends in the morning.”

The town, which has a population of about 5,000, is expected to declare three days of official mourning, according to Spanish media.

Milagros Tolon, representative of the Spanish government in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, wrote on X: “It is with great sadness that I received the news of the death of a child in #Mocejón (Toledo) after being attacked with a sharp object.

“The Civil Guard has launched an extensive operation to arrest the perpetrator.

“All my love to the family and friends of the deceased, and to the people of Mocejón.”

Emiliano Garcia-Page, President of the Castilla-La Mancha region, said he was shocked by the events in Mocejón and hoped the perpetrator would be found soon.

“These situations are unacceptable and must result in appropriate punishment.”