Barcelona: 16 dead, two men arrested after van mows down pedestrians in Las Ramblas

A white van has sped down a pedestrian zone in Barcelona’s historic Las Ramblas, swerving from side to side as it ploughed into tourists and residents, killing 16 people and injuring 100 in what authorities are calling a terrorist attack.

Key points:

• A van drove into pedestrians in a busy tourist strip in Barcelona
• Two men have been arrested in connection to the incident, the driver is still at large
• The attack has been linked to an explosion at a home in Alcanar

The afternoon attack in the north-eastern Spanish city was the country’s deadliest since 2004, when Al Qaeda-inspired bombers killed 192 people in coordinated attacks on Madrid’s commuter trains.

The latest incident left victims sprawled out in the street, spattered with blood or crippled by broken limbs.

Others fled in panic, screaming or carrying young children in their arms. The driver is still at large.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said an Australian woman was among those seriously injured.

The woman is believed to be from New South Wales and is in a serious but stable condition in hospital.

Two young Australian men also advised the Federal Government they were directly affected by the attack, but returned to their hotel and intend on seeking medical treatment in the morning.

Catalonia regional head Carles Puigdemont said 100 people had been hospitalised, with regional interior chief Joaquim Forn adding: “Unfortunately the number of fatalities will likely rise.”

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy labelled the incident a “Jihadist attack”.

Catalan police confirmed two men have been arrested in relation to the incident, which is being treated as a terror attack “with the aim of killing as many people as possible”.

Police said neither of the two men arrested was the driver of the vehicle.

Senior police official Josep Lluis Trapero said the two suspects in custody were directly linked to the attack, “but that doesn’t mean that either were the author of the attack”.

The driver of the van left the vehicle on foot and did not appear to be armed, a Catalan police official said…

MORE: Barcelona: 16 dead, two men arrested after van mows down pedestrians in Las Ramblas – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)