A WHITE Van plowed into tourists in Barcelona, Spain earlier today and thirteen people have been killed.
The van struck in the heart of the Las Ramblas area of the historic city.
Two men are currently holed up in a restaurant according to local media.
TIMELINE: HOW EVENTS UNFOLDED
16:29
Metro and train stations close to the scene of the crash have been shut
16:29
Emergency services have warned people not to go to the Placa Catalunya in the heart of the city
16:28
Several people have been injured, according to police
16:28
Barcelona police confirm a “massive crash” has taken place in the city centre
16:41
Las Ramblas is an iconic tourist hotspot in the Catalonian city.
It is full of stalls and shops and runs through the heart of Barcelona. The centre of the road is pedestrianised, but cars can travel on either side
16:40
El Pais newspaper, citing a police source, has said the driver of the van fled the scene after the crash
16:39
Tweet from the interior ministry. It reads:
A large number of people have been run over on Las Ramblas in Barcelona by a person in a van. Several injuries
Se acaba de producir atropellamiento masivo en las Ramblas de Barcelona por parte de una persona con una furgoneta. Varios heridos
— Mossos (@mossos) August 17, 2017
17:08
El Periodico newspaper reports two armed men are holed up in a bar following the van attack.
It also reported gunfire near La Boqueria market
17:02
TV3 reporting that the two armed men entered a Turkish restaurant
16:59
Video footage posted online shows people lying on the ground for 200 yards along the pavement in Las Ramblas, many of them very badly hurt
16:55
El Pais newspaper is reporting that one person has been killed, and 20 people injured. That has not been confirmed
16:54
Interior ministry is telling people in the area to remain where they are until police tell them they can leave
16:49
Local media is reporting that two armed men have entered a restaurant in Barcelona following the van crash
16:45
Images from Spanish TV broadcasters have shown people lying on the ground being helped by police officers
17:55
El Pais reports at least 13 people have been killed.
The newspaper has said that a Spanish passport was found inside the van
17:52
Terrorist warning has been activated in the city
17:47
Reports that authorities are looking for a second van apart from the one which hit crowds on Las Ramblas
17:45
Cadena Ser radio station, citing police sources, claim at least 13 people have been killed in the attack
17:38
There are ‘two distinct elements’ to the #Barcelona terrorist attack: Here’s what we know so far pic.twitter.com/QbMMthepyA
17:36
A regional government source has said at least two people have been killed, AFP news agency is reporting
17:34
Media reports claim the driver of the van was wearing white clothing that had blue stripes. He is thought to be around 5ft 6in tall
17:28
Witness Lindsey Davidson told Sky News: “We were in a changing room in a shop, we were waiting around and then we saw a load of people crowding out and running out of the door, honestly we thought there was a celebrity there or something and then we decided to wait for a few minutes to see what it was because everyone was just… they weren’t too panicked.
“We decided to leave and we went out of the shop and there was police everywhere, ambulances, fire engines, bomb disposal squads and they were directing people to go as far away from the area as they could.
“We’re back at our hotel now because they said it’s the best thing we could do. It’s pretty scary.
“We didn’t see any of the victims, we just saw people running. Everyone running with their kids and crying and just trying to get as far away from the scene as possible, we didn’t actually see it happen.
“All of the shops were shutting their shutters down and the cafes were closing up as well. So I think everyone must just have been given the same advice.”
17:27
Interior ministry confirms there are dead and injured victims after the van hit crowds.
It also states there has been no gunfire in El Corte Ingles department store
18:15 Hi ha víctimes mortals i ferits arran de l’atropellament. NO hi ha hagut cap tiroteig a El Corte Inglés. Seguiu fonts oficials
— Mossos (@mossos) August 17, 2017
17:25
Alacarta TV has spoken to a taxi driver who witnessed the crash.
He said: “The van was travelling at high speed and went down running over everyone that it could.”