MADRID — Police in Spain are searching for a man suspected of killing an 11-year-old boy with a sharp object on a football pitch, local media report.

The victim was reportedly playing with other children when he was attacked by a person wearing a hood.

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

The suspect, reported to be a young man around 18, then fled the scene. A large manhunt is under way.

Broadcaster RTVE said government sources confirmed the attack happened around 10:00 local time (08:00 GMT). It said a dozen patrols were looking for the suspect and a helicopter has joined the search.

Crowds gathered outside the town hall for a minute's silence in tribute to the boy on Sunday afternoon.

Mocejón mayor Concepción Cedillo told reporters: "It is a sad day, with a town broken by pain, and if every murder is painful, how much more so the murder of an innocent child who was playing football with his friends this morning."

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

Milagros Tolon, the Spanish government's representative in the Castilla-La Mancha region, posted on X: "It is with great sadness that I receive the news of the murder of a minor in #Mocejón (Toledo) after being attacked with a sharp object.

"The Civil Guard has deployed a wide-ranging operation to arrest the perpetrator.

"All my love to the family and friends of the deceased, as well as 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 was found soon.

"These situations are unacceptable and must result in a just punishment." — BBCa