Culture

A Van Plowed Into A Barcelona Crowd Near A Popular Tourist Spot, Killing Several People

Please see continuing updates at the bottom of this post about a second attack.

This Sky News clip shows the breaking moments after a “massive crash” that has taken place in a touristy area of Barcelona, Spain. CNN reports that the incident occurred in the popular (and now closed-off) Las Ramblas area, where at least 13 people were killed and 50 more injured after a van drove straight into a crowd. Reuters also reports that two armed men entered a nearby eatery following the crash, and police are currently searching for the van’s driver, as this CNN video shows.

At this stage, police tell CNN that the incident is “most likely” terror related in nature. Photos from the scene also indicate that the attack occurred near a Kosher restaurant called Maccabi. Reuters further adds that the driver is believed to have “fled on foot” and that the affected crowd contained “dozens” of people. An investigation has commenced, and authorities have closed nearby train stations while asking people to avoid the area.

Spanish police have posted a video showing the van after it came to a halt.

On social media, people quickly posted video clips that show the surrounding scene of the accident as people fled.

Since July 2016 — when a driver killed over 60 people during a Bastille Day attack in France — incidents such as these have become increasingly common worldwide, including multiple incidents in London.

UPDATE #1 – 2:15pm EST: Spanish police have released a photo — as seen in this CBS News video — of a suspect in this attack.

UPDATE #2 – 4:15pm EST: CNN reports that two police officers have been run over at a security checkpoint in what appears to be a second attack.

UPDATE #3 – 5:25pm EST: Spanish police have apprehended two suspects. Further, ISIS has declared the two men to be Islamic State soldiers, but the terror organization has neither claimed nor provided proof of their responsibility for either of today’s two attacks.

UPDATE #4 – 9:05pm EST: During an operation in response to the terrorist attacks, Spanish police have shot and killed 4 people and injured another in the town of in Cambrils about 62 miles from Barcelona. According to reports, police suspected that they were planning an attack similar to the one carried out in Barcelona on Thursday. The regional police have requested that residents stay in their homes and not go out on the streets at this time.

This story is developing, and we will add further details as they become available.

(Via Sky News, CNN, AP, New York Post & Reuters)