Many Dead and Injured In Van Plowing Into The Crowds Terror Attack, Barcelona

A white van slammed into crowds on a tree-lined pedestrian mall Thursday in Barcelona's popular tourist district Las Ramblas, killing at least one person and injuring 32 in what Spanish police call a terror attack.

Spanish media, including Cadena SER radio station and TV3, put the death toll as high as 13. 

Spanish public broadcaster RTVE says 1 suspect has been arrested. The Spanish newspaper El  Pais reported earlier that two suspects had fled the scene, with at least one holed up in a bar.

"We can confirm this was a terror attack. The counter-terror protocol has been activated," tweeted regional police.

The Las Ramblas district is lined with stalls and shops in the center of Barcelona. People walk down a wide, pedestrian path in the center of the street but cars can travel on either side. Witnesses tell Spanish state broadcaster RTVE that the van mounted the central pedestrian part of the boulevard and barreled into the crowd.

Albert Tort, 47, a nurse who lives in the area, tells the Spanish newspaper El  Pais the scene of the carnage was a "real disaster."

"I have counted at least 6 dead, I have tried to revive a young man but it has been impossible, " Tort said. 

Mossos d'Esquadra Police officers and emergency service workers move an injured person after a van crashes into pedestrians in Las Ramblas, downtown Barcelona, Spain, on Aug. 17, 2017. 

According to initial reports a van crashed into a crowd in Barcelona's famous Placa Catalunya square at Las Ramblas area injuring several. Local media report the van driver ran away, metro and train stations were closed. The number of people injured and the reasons behind the incident are not yet known.   Van crashes into pedestrians in Barcelona terror attack

The Mossos d'Esquadra, the police force of the Catalan autonomous region, said on Twitter that "the counter-terror mechanism has been activated."

In Washington, the White House says President Trump has been alerted to the unfolding situation. This year there have been several high-profile terror attacks involving vehicles across Europe. In Spain, there hasn't been a major terrorist attack since the 2004 Madrid train bombings by Al Qaeda inspired terrorists, according to El  Pais. 

The El Pais newspaper said the Clinical and Provincial Hospital of Barcelona is treating three injured by the incident. Police cordoned off the street and shut down businesses. A policemen and a medical staff member stand past police cars and an ambulance in a cordoned off area after a van plowed into the crowd, injuring several people on the Rambla in Barcelona on August 17, 2017. 

The government of Catalonia's Carles Puigdemont tweeted, "Maximum prudence and all the attention to the victims in the events of this afternoon in Barcelona."

Jessica Durando and Doug Stanglin, USA TODAY