Barcelona attack: 13 dead and 100 wounded

Thirteen people have been killed and more than 100 wounded when a van drove though crowds on a historic promenade in Barcelona.

The attack happened shortly after 5pm local time on Thursday when a white Fiat van tore through Las Ramblas, a major tourist attraction.

It was packed with families and holidaymakers, in a horror described as "jihad terrorism" by the country's prime minister Mariano Rajoy.

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Many killed and injured were browsing stalls selling tourist souvenirs along an avenue that stretches more than a kilometre towards the sea.

A major manhunt for the suspected driver was continuing on Friday.

Hours after the Barcelona rampage, a second terror attack happened around 60 miles away in the seaside town of Cambrils. Seven people were hurt and five attackers were killed by police.

Authorities this morning said they believe a cell of eight people may have been involved in planning both attacks, and wanted to use gas cannisters as weapons.

Overnight in Barcelona, an eerie silence pervaded the centre of a city that would usually be bustling until the early hours at the height of the holidays.

Some tourists dressed in shorts and t-shirts stood behind security tape close to the scene.

A text message spread from phone to phone with a warning not to share photos of the attack.

"That's what they (the attackers) want," it said.

On Friday morning, pedestrians walked along Las Ramblas, among film crews, journalists and police.

"It's very eerie this morning seeing cafe and restaurants, left as they were, food still out on the tables," Sky's Jonathan Samuels said in Barcelona.

The Islamic State terror group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

It is the deadliest on Spanish soil since more than 190 people died in the Madrid train bombs in 2004.

According to the Catalan regional government citizens of 24 countries were among those killed and injured.

One Belgian national is confirmed to have died, while 26 French citizens were injured , at least 11 of them seriously.

There have been no reports of any Britons injured so far. Prime Minister Theresa May said she was "sickened" by the incident .

Authorities have warned that the death toll may rise, with 15 people receiving treatment for serious injuries.

Three suspects, a Spanish national and a Moroccan, have been arrested in the wake of the attack .

They were held in the northern Catalan town of Ripoll and in Alcanar.

Alcanar is also the site of an explosion on Wednesday night which killed one person and is thought to be linked to the van attack, authorities said.

The whereabouts of the van driver remained unclear.

There were also reports that detectives believe two vans were used, one for the attack and a second as a getaway vehicle.

Hours after Thursday's attack, police killed a man who was in a car that hit officers at a traffic blockade on the outskirts of Barcelona.

However, police say it was not linked to the van attack.

Witnesses to the attack described how the van hurtled through crowds without slowing down.

Lawyer and University of Glasgow rector Aamer Anwar told the Press Association: "I could see a woman screaming with her kids. People started running and jumping into shops.

"I ran for about 50 or 100 metres and stopped to see what was happening.

"The police were very quickly on the scene and getting people to move back."

Will Ako, 26, from London, was eating in a restaurant called Taller De Tapas with his family when they heard a disturbance.

He told the Press Association: "I then saw people running to the east of the restaurant and I saw a couple of people, about 30 yards down the road, crouching around what looked like someone on the ground and they were calling for assistance."

"Within a couple of minutes, police started to arrive and they were running west of the restaurant and some were telling us to stay inside.

"Soon after, loads of cars, bikes and ambulances arrived and then the armed police."