A VAN has ploughed into a crowd of people in Barcelona, with the area now in lockdown.
A crowd of dozens of people have been hit by the van, with police warning of a "massive crash". Two armed men are also believed to have stormed a nearby restaurant. Witnesses said a white van driven by a male mounted the pavement before crashing into pedestrians. People have been urged to avoid the area, with peope now shuttered inside shops in the area for their own safety. Several people have been injured, according to Barcelona police on Twitter. Two people are believed to have been killed. Shocking photos posted on social media shows several people being treated on the ground by paramedics.
Police said the driver fled on foot from the scene. The incident has occured at La Rambla de Catalunya, which has now been evacuated. The area is popular with tourists and is located in the heart of the Spanish city.
One witness said: “Crashing noise. I saw a woman next to me screaming for her kid. Police were very quickly there, officers with guns.
"it was chaos, you couldn’t tell what was happening.
“Police officers were screaming at people to move back. People were seriously injured on the ground. Within 30 seconds police vans, ambulances, officers with guns were arriving.”
Barcelona vanTWITTER
Several people have been injured after a van hit a crowd in Barcelona
Another witness said: “People were running into shops. There was a mini stampede. We've been locked into a church. They've locked the doors. I'm not sure of the person who may have done it has been caught."
He added people have taken refuge in shops and cafes.
Barcelona resident Esther Balboa told Express.co.uk: “The police are telling everyone to keep away from the area and several metro stations have been closed. They haven’t captured anyone yet. It’s an area very popular with tourists. It’s all really shocking.”