A 64-year-old British woman has been taken into custody in Benidorm, in the province of Alicante (Valencia region), after allegedly killing her 66-year-old friend by strangling her with the cord of a vacuum cleaner inside a holiday apartment.
The killing occurred late on Wednesday in the Rincón de Loix neighbourhood, a popular area on the eastern side of the resort city that draws large numbers of British holidaymakers. Investigators say the two women had flown out together for a brief break and were staying in the flat with a third British companion.
Police were alerted when the suspect is said to have admitted the act to the third woman, who quickly contacted Spain’s emergency services. Local officers arrived first, before handing the case over to the national police. Authorities confirmed the victim died as a result of apparent strangulation.
Emergency medical staff found the woman lifeless upon entering the apartment. Her body bore clear signs of asphyxiation and was transferred to Alicante’s Institute of Legal Medicine for an autopsy.
Citing police sources, the EFE news agency reported that the two women had been arguing before the attack, though the motive remains unknown. The suspected weapon – the vacuum cleaner cord – has been seized for forensic analysis.
The arrested woman was brought before Benidorm’s Court of Instruction, which ordered her held in custody as statements continue to be gathered and evidence reviewed.
Residents of Rincón de Loix have been left stunned. The district, better known for its pubs and holiday lets catering to northern Europeans than for serious crime, saw local business owners describe the incident as ‘deeply unsettling’ for a community dependent on visitors.
Local media reports said that the flat where the killing took place was in a private residential gated estate, extremely popular with British expats and tourists.
Local media images also showed two mobility scooters – identical to ones used by thousands of British tourists and expats in the Costa Blanca resort – were parked by the door of the flat. According to some reports, the 66-year-old victim often used one of the mobility scooters while she was in Benidorm.
Spanish authorities have yet to confirm whether homicide charges will be filed. Police continue to question the surviving travel companion as well as nearby residents while they work to piece together the events leading to the killing.
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Detenida una mujer de 64 años por supuestamente estrangular con un cable de aspiradora a una amiga en Benidorm pic.twitter.com/28cgwDi8zT
— EFEnoticias España (@EFEnoticias_ES) September 18, 2025
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