@PassionForNews / TwitterA van has hit pedestrians on a walkway in Barcelona, Spanish police are reporting.
According to early reports, the vehicle struck pedestrians on Las Ramblas, a popular tourist hot spot and ‘several people’ have been injured.
Police have confirmed they are now searching for the driver of the van, which crashed into crowds at around 5pm local time.
People rushed away near the El Corte Inglés in the Plaza Catalunya in central Barcelona.
Via @jordipc pic.twitter.com/FpM53tSy79— The Spain Report (@thespainreport) August 17, 2017
Emergency services are urging people to ‘stay away’ from the area around Placa Catalunya.
Marc Esparcia, a student living in Barcelona, told the BBC:
There was a loud noise and everybody ran for cover. There were a lot people, lots of families [at the site], this is one of the most visited sites in Barcelona.
I think several people were hit. It was horrible, there was panic. Terrible.
A person has tweeted they are currently stuck in a restaurant following the incident, adding that armed police are ‘everywhere’.
Two armed men are reported to have barricaded themselves in a restaurant in the city also.
There has just been a massive trampling on the Ramblas in Barcelona by a person with a van. There are injured
— Mossos (@mossos) August 17, 2017
Attack in Barcelona, terrorist have again hit with a truck on the rambla pic.twitter.com/kbUhMCULoG
— francois Asseraf (@fasseraf) August 17, 2017
Live Now..
Suspected Terror Attacks In Barcelona Las Ramblas.. Car Drove Into Pedestrians.. #Barcelona #TerroristAttack #LasRamblas #Terror pic.twitter.com/jwIKblT48E— Dogan Peri (@DoganPeri) August 17, 2017
#Barcleona#Larambals#Rambla#spain#ارهابي_برشلونه pic.twitter.com/Trj5bjs9gP
— نواف ع. الزامل (@iNawafAlZamel) August 17, 2017
— Jesús García Bueno (@jesusgbueno) August 17, 2017
