Van Plows Into Pedestrians At Major Tourist Hub In Barcelona
Source: Huffington Post
A van drove into pedestrians at a major tourist hub in Barcelona, Spain, on Thursday, wounding several people, according local police.
The cause of the crash is still unknown. Metro stations surrounding the site have been closed, and emergency services have warned against going near the area, authorities said.
The incident took place in La Rambla, a street popular with tourists and which features a historic boulevard. A video posted to social media in the aftermath of the event shows people running near Barcelonas Plaa de Catalunya.
This is just breaking news, I will post as updates become available
Here is the BBC report:
Spanish police say several people have been injured in a "massive crash", while emergency services are urging people to stay away from the area around Plaça Catalunya.
Reports from the scene say people are taking cover in nearby shops and cafes.
Reuters news agency reports that emergency services have requested the closure of local metro and train stations.
El Pais newspaper said the driver of the vehicle had fled on foot after mowing down dozens of people.
Steven Turner, who works in the area, told the BBC: "People in my office saw a van ramming into people on La Ramblas.
"I saw about three or four people lying on the ground."
"There are lots of ambulances and armed police with assault rifles around now."
Details of this incident are still unclear, but vehicles have been used to ram into crowds in a series of militant attacks across Europe since July last year.
Las Ramblas
Central boulevard that runs 1.2km (0.75 miles) through the centre of Barcelona
Runs from the city's Placa de Catalunya (Catalonia Square) to the Christopher Columbus monument at the seafront.
Popular with tourists because of its market stalls, bars and restaurants
Barcelona city council restricted traffic flow because of heavy pedestrian use of the street
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40965581
Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/barcelona-car-plaza_us_5995b1a9e4b0acc593e5e287?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009
= new reply since forum marked as read
I hope this isn't the case....this is so horrible...
The Ramblas is the place to go at night so at least they picked the least-bad time. Still horrible.
What a world.
Younes Abouyaaqoub is understood to be the chief suspect for the attack on Las Ramblas that killed at least 13 dead and injured more than 130.
...
On Friday it emerged that another suspect, Moussa Oukabir, who is thought to have rented the van, was among five men shot dead as they launched a second attack in the coastal town of Cambrils.
...
Police are also looking for a white Renault Kangoo vehicle which is believed to have been rented by the suspects and could have crossed the border into France, according to French media.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/19/barcelona-attack-hunt-continues-for-driver-of-van-younes-abouyaaqoub-renault-kangoo
This is the house they blew up while they were trying to prepare propane/butane-based bombs:
Picking carefully through the debris they found the body of a woman, a severely injured man and the remains of around 20 butane and propane gas bottles.
The house, which had been repossessed by a bank years ago, was being squatted by a group of men who neighbours assumed were Moroccan and who came and went on powerful Kawasaki motorbikes.
Police thought that this meant is was a drugs factory of some kind. The cause of the explosion seemed clear enough: it was the result of an accidental gas leak.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/19/from-gas-blast-to-carnage-in-las-ramblas-the-attacks-that-shook-spain
