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Tulum police officers killed after unit hit by speeding car

Tulum, Q.R. — UPDATED: A Tulum police officer was killed Friday in a two vehicle accident in the municipality. A total of seven people were involved in the high impact two vehicle crash.

Six were left injured in the afternoon collision that happened along a section of Tulum-Felipe Carrillo Puerto highway.

Municipal security footage captured the moment a gray car attempted to pass a vehicle on the busy highway, crashing head on into the police truck. At least two officers were riding in the back of the unit when the truck was hit.

According to preliminary information, three of the injured are police officers and three were civilians from the private car. The deceased officer, who has been identified as Valencia Olmos Simón, was killed when he was thrown from the back of the truck during impact.

Tulum firemen were part of the rescue operation to remove at least one officer from the cab of the badly damaged truck. Others involved in the crash were transferred to the General Hospital of Playa del Carmen.

UPDATE: A second police officer identified as Manuel de Jesús Velázquez Pérez, has also died. The second officer died in hospital, bringing the death toll to two killed.