While the incident may still be ongoing, Spanish media is reporting that at least 13 people have died and dozens have been injured as a van zigzagged along La Rambla de Barcelona, a busy and crowded tourist promenade in the city, for around 500 m (1,640 ft). The incident is being treated as a terrorist attack.

Van plows into pedestrians in La Rambla, Barcelona

El Pais in English quotes one witness as saying the van ran over pedestrians who were crossing at traffic lights in La Rambla. At least 13 are reported dead by Spanish media and around 80 injured according to Reuters, with 13 in a critical condition.

The area is popular with tourists and is packed with people at all times of the year, with cafés, bars, and shops lining the street, and connects the Plaza de Catalunya to the city’s beach. La Rambla is a two-way street with a pedestrian area running down the center.

RT News is at the time of writing, reporting live and has said one person has been arrested and that another was holding people hostage in a Turkish restaurant in the city. However, a later report said there is no hostage situation and that two arrests had been made.

Area evacuated, and public transport shut down

Following the terror attack, police have evacuated the area and warn people not to head into La Rambla until further notice. Public transport has also been stopped in the area with the Plaza de Catalunya being a major transport hub in Barcelona. Police have asked residents in the area around the Plaza de Catalunya to stay indoors.

The streets were reportedly eerily empty after the evacuation.

Should anyone be concerned about their family or friends, police have asked them to use social media to get in touch rather than overloading the cell phone networks in the city.

A Facebook safety check page has been set up under the title “The Attack in Barcelona, Spain” for people to look for friends and for anyone living in Barcelona to confirm whether they are safe.

The U.S. State Department has reportedly tweeted to tell U.S. citizens currently in Barcelona to contact their loved ones to let them know they are safe via social media.

Van driver identified

The Civil Guard has identified the man who rented the van used in the attack as Driss Oukabir, of Moroccan descent. Oukabir rented the van in Santa Perpetua de Mogoda, a small town around 25 km (15 miles) from Barcelona.

El Pais quotes the Spanish news agency EFE as saying regional police have located a second van which they believe may be linked to the Terror Attack in the town of Vic, 60 km (37 miles) from Barcelona.

According to police sources, one or more of the persons behind the attack was holed up in a bar in the Raval district of Barcelona. However, another suspect was reportedly holding people hostage in Aromas de Istambul, a Turkish restaurant in La Rambla. A witness, Natalia Bravo, said she believes a suspect is inside the restaurant and that around 20 people left at around 6:30 p.m.

mostly women and children. Bravo saw approximately 20 police officers enter that restaurant. However, this situation is unclear. As mentioned above, police have since said there was no hostage situation.

Albert Tort, 47, lives in La Rambla and told El Pais that the police would not let him through. However, Tort identified himself to them as a health worker, and they let him through. Tort said what he saw was a disaster area. He personally saw around six dead and tried to revive one man without success.

A later live report said that one suspect had been shot. However, other reports say two men are in custody. This is an ongoing story, and more will be reported once the situation is clear.

The RT News live stream video relating to the Barcelona terrorist attack is included below, but viewers are warned that some scenes are graphic.
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