Horrific video taken after a van plowed into people on the Las Ramblas strip in Barcelona showed dead bodies strewn around, barely conscious victims struggling to move, and pools of blood dotting the popular pedestrian avenue.
Those who witnessed the horrific scenes insisted that this was no accident, and that the man behind the wheel drove his vehicle so as to claim as many victims as possible.
“I heard screams and a bit of a crash and then I just saw the crowd parting and this van going full pelt down the middle of the Ramblas and I immediately knew that it was a terrorist attack or something like that,” witness Tom Gueller told the BBC. “It wasn’t slowing down at all. It was just going straight through the middle of the crowds.”
READ MORE: Barcelona attack: Driss Oukabir named suspect after van plows into crowd
A taxi driver who witnessed the attack told TV3 that the van swerved from side to side.
His account appeared to be mirrored by that of a woman who told French news channel BFMTV that the van zigzagged from side to side to hit a maximum number of pedestrians.
Those who were in the immediate area when the attack occurred reported scenes of panic in the immediate aftermath, before they were instructed by police to stay indoors until the area was secured.
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Multiple deaths and dozens injured in Barcelona terror attack -
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Amateur video captures chaotic scene following van attack in Barcelona -
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Amateur videos show people fleeing the scene, seeking shelter following Barcelona van incident -
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Armed police patrol streets following attack in Barcelona -
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Woman describes ‘complete panic’ following Barcelona van attack -
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Injured seen laying on street after a van plows into crowd in Barcelona -
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Pedestrians flee as manhunt for Barcelona van attack driver underway -
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Paramedics treat victim of Barcelona van attack -
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Witness says they mistook police response to Barcelona van incident for a famous celebrity -
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Video shows police running towards scene of Barcelona attack, victims being treated -
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Sirens wail in Barcelona’s Plaça Catalunya square following suspected van attack -
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Reporter provides first-hand account of Barcelona van incident
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Dutch tourist Tamara Jurgen told the Associated Press that she was in a Zara clothing store steps from Placa de Catalunya, a huge square from where Las Ramblas begins, when the attack took place.
“We had to run up to the roof and throw our bags over a wall. We were all together along this wall and we were scared we were going to have to jump,” Jurgen said, adding that she and others were held inside for over two hours until police cleared the block.
Another tourist filmed a video from inside the cafe showing first responders tending to a victim. The video shows Spanish police arriving at the scene, and patrons in the cafe applauding in a show of solidarity upon being offered drinks by cafe workers.
READ MORE: What to know about Barcelona’s popular Las Ramblas district
Keith Fleming, an American expat living just off Las Ramblas, said he went out to his balcony after he heard a loud bang, and saw petrified women and children running down the street. Police arrived shortly thereafter and cleared the area, and asked people to stay indoors.
Responsibility for the attack was claimed by the Islamic State, according to a statement published by the group’s Amaq news agency.
“The perpetrators of the Barcelona attack are soldiers of the Islamic State and carried out the operation in response to calls for targeting coalition states,” the statement said.
READ MORE: Barcelona attack: Donald Trump immediately condemns terrorism
If the involvement of Islamist militants is confirmed, the Barcelona attack would be the latest in a string of vehicle attacks to wreak terror on the streets of European cities, following on from similar attacks in Nice, Berlin, London and Stockholm.
Police named Driss Oukabir, a Moroccan citizen in his 20s, as a suspect in the attack. It’s not clear yet if or how Oukabir was involved in Islamic State operations prior to this attack.
– With files from Reuters and the Associated Press
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