A government official in Barcelona says one person has been confirmed dead and 32 others injured in the van attack in the city’s historic Las Ramblas district.Catalonia’s regional interior chief Joaquim Forn said during a news conference on Thursday: “Unfortunately the number of fatalities will likely rise.”Media in Barcelona are reporting that up to 13 died in the attack.Barcelona police said on Twitter that 10 of the 32 people injured were seriously hurt.Police cordoned off the broad street that is so popular with tourists, ordering stores and nearby Metro and train stations to close. They asked people to stay away from the area so as not to get in the way of emergency services. A helicopter hovered over the scene.Quoting unnamed police sources, the El Pais newspapers said the two perpetrators of the crash were holed up in a bar in Tallers Street. Armed police ran down the streets and through a market, checking in stores and cafes, presumably in search of them.In photographs and videos, at least five people could be seen lying on the ground in the streets of the northern Spanish city Thursday afternoon, being helped by police and others. Other video recorded people screaming as they fled the van.Las Ramblas, a street of stalls and shops that cuts through the centre of Barcelona, is one of the city’s top tourist destinations. People walk down a wide, pedestrian path in the centre of the street but cars can travel on either side.Keith Fleming, an American who lives in Barcelona, was watching TV in his building just off Las Ramblas when he heard a noise and went out to his balcony.“I saw women and children just running and they looked terrified,” he said.He said there was a bang — possibly from someone rolling down a store shutter — and more people ran by. Then police arrived and pushed everyone a full block away. Even people leaning out of doors were being told to go back inside, he said.Fleming said ...
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