Latest on Spain terror attacks

Tuesday, 18 Aug, 2017 0

Spanish authorities have linked an attack in the early hours of this morning in the tourist area of Cambrils, near Salou, with yesterday’s attack in Barcelona in which 13 people died when a van was driven into people on Las Ramblas.

They have now named the man suspected of driving the van as teenager Moussa Oukabir, who is still at large. He is reported to be 17, although some reports say he is 18.

Meanwhile, the first victim has been named as Italian Bruno Gulotta, who was on holiday with his family and a woman who was injured in the Cambrils attack has since died.

She was among six people and one police officer injured when a car drove into people in Cambrils at about 1am, within hours of the Barcelona attack. Five suspects were shot dead by police. They had been wearing fake explosive belts.

Cambrils is near Salou, which is a popular destination among British visitors, about 70 miles south of Barcelona.

It happened eight hours after the van ploughed into crowds in Barcelona’s Las Ramblas tourist area.

More than 100 people were injured after the van mowed down dozens of people in Barcelona’s famous boulevard. Children are among the dead, according to Reuters.

Police are treating both incidents as terror attacks and say they are linked. Three arrests have been made, including Driss Oukabir, the brother of the man suspected of being the van driver.

Driss Oukabir is believed to have hired the van.

Reuters reports a judicial source saying a ‘cell of at least eight people, possibly 12, may have been involved in the Barcelona attack and Cambrils plot and that it was planning to use gas canisters’.

The UK Foreign Office told visitors to stay inside and stay away from the Las Ramblas area of the city, and parts of the famous boulevard are still cordoned off.

"If you’re in the immediate area you should take care and follow the advice of the local security authorities; press reports suggest that some public transport, particularly the metro, has been affected," the FCO said.

It told anyone caught up in the ongoing incident to turn any mobile phones or other devices to silent, and not to put their location on social media.

"If you are safe, follow the instructions of the Spanish authorities and notify friends and family via social networks, to avoid using phone lines," it advised.

A helpline has been set up on 0034 93 214 21 24, although some callers have experienced problems with the line. The Spanish authorities are working to resolve this.

ABTA also told holidaymakers in Barcelona to stay away from the Las Ramblas area.

"This advice also applies to people imminently due to travel to Barcelona," it added.

Citizens from over 30 countries are among the dead and injured in the Barcelona attack according to the Spanish Civil Protection Agency.

The French foreign ministry says 26 of its citizens were injured, 11 of them seriously.

An Irish family of four was also caught up in the attack, though their injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

Australia said one of its citizens is unaccounted for and three are injured, one seriously. Spanish newspaper El Pais said three Germans and a Belgian are among the dead.



 

profileimage

Bev

Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.



Most Read

Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know

Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham

Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago

Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research

Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact

Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference

Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role

Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal

Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination

Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness

Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future

Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
TRAINING & COMPETITION
Skip to toolbar
Clearing CSS/JS assets' cache... Please wait until this notice disappears...
Updating... Please wait...