Barcelona terrorist attack: 13 dead, 50+ injured as van plows into pedestrians in tourist area

August 17, 2017 at 16:15

Thirteen people have died and more than 50 others have been injured in a “massive crash” involving a van in Barcelona's city center, local police have confirmed. Authorities have called the incident a “terrorist attack.”

Catalan Interior Ministry official, Joaquim Forn, confirmed the death toll in the attack on his Twitter page.

Two people have been arrested in connection with the deadly van attack in Barcelona, Catalan's regional head Carles Puigdemont has said.

Earlier, the local police said that one person has been detained, with images of the arrest circulating online.

The Spanish prime minister said he was on his way to Barcelona to reinforce security in the city.

“Maximum coordination to arrest the attackers, reinforce security and attend to all those affected,” Mariano Rajoy wrote on Twitter.

Earlier, the La Vanguardia newspaper reported that one of the perpetrators involved in the van attack had been shot dead by police during a gunfight.

A white van smashed into a crowd on the famous La Rambla, a street popular with tourists visiting the city.

The crash occurred after the van jumped the sidewalk, AP reported.

Catalan Police said they were treating the incident as a terrorist attack.

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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