(RNN) – Spanish police said early Friday they have killed five terrorists south of Barcelona in the city of Cambrils to foil an attempted terror attack, the BBC reports. The terrorists were carrying bomb belts, police told the Associated Press.
Authorities in the area were detonating controlled explosions, according to their Twitter account, but said the situation is under control. CNN says that six civilians were injured, two seriously, in the Cambrils incident.
This came hours after a van jumped a curb and ran over dozens of people in Las Ramblas, a promenade and a large tourist attraction in Barcelona, Spain on Thursday. ISIS claimed responsibility for the terror attack on its news agency’s Amaq.
ISIS often claims responsibility for such attacks, even when they turn out to be carried out by individuals with no connection to the extremist group.
CNN reported that two suspects have been taken into custody following the Thursday attack. Neither was determined to be the driver of the van, who is believed to have escaped.
The casualty numbers have steadily grown as more news became available. The most recent reports said 13 people were killed and another 100 injured. Catalonia’s regional interior chief Joaquim Forn told the AP, “Unfortunately the number of fatalities will likely rise.”
Multiple sources and news agencies have confirmed the incident as a terrorist attack.
In the early aftermath of the attack, Spanish police called the incident a “massive crash,” and urged people to stay away from the area around Placa Catalunya, one of the most visited sites in Barcelona. One Canadian visitor who had been there an hour before the incident said there were throngs of people milling about as one might see at Times Square in New York.
Downtown areas were evacuated, and subway stops near the area closed.
Emergency response teams flooded the area to treat the injured. Graphic video and photographs posted on social media showed many people lying motionless on the ground, some in pools of blood.
First footage from the scene after a white van mounted the pavement and struck several people on Barcelona’s Las Ramblas pic.twitter.com/WxBobVDxoS
— Sky News (@SkyNews) August 17, 2017
Las Ramblas is a pedestrian mall that stretches about 3/4 of a mile through the city, connecting Placa de Catalunya to the Christopher Columbus Monument at Port Vell on the Mediterranean.
A 20-year-old student who lives in Barcelona told the BBC, “There was a loud noise and everybody ran for cover. There were a lot of people, lots of families (at the site)… I think several people were hit. It was horrible. There was panic. Terrible.”
People quickly took shelter in nearby cafes and shops. Esparcia said he was taking cover inside a Starbucks.
CNN reported one person also died in an explosion in a house in Catalonia. Police indicated the incident is connected to the Barcelona attack, but it’s not clear how at this time.
The victim is Spanish and was not on police radar.
Facebook started a “Safety Check” for the affected area, and urges those who can offer help to volunteer. Users in the area can check in, notifying loved ones that they are safe.