A street is cordoned off after a van crashed into pedestrians near the Las Ramblas avenue in central Barcelona, Spain: ReutersMadrid: Spanish police Friday said that they killed five people in the town of Cambrils to stop a second attempted van attack after the Thursday afternoon attack in Barcelona's Las Ramblas area, that claimed the lives of 13 people and injured over 100 others.
In Cambrils, a popular seaside resort, seven people including a police officer were injured when a car rammed into pedestrians Friday, the BBC quoted the Catalan emergency services as saying.
Spanish media reported that the vehicle overturned and when the attackers, who were wearing explosive belts, got out they were quickly fired upon by police.
A bomb squad is deployed to carry out controlled blasts on the explosive belts and the situation is under control, police said.
The driver of the van, who fled on foot, is still at large. Earlier, the Islamic State terror group had, in a brief statement, said the Thursday attack was carried out by 'Islamic State soldiers'.
Authorities are now linking the attacks in Barcelona and Cambrils with an explosion at a house on Wednesday evening in the town of Alcanar that left one person dead.
So far, two people have been arrested, and the police have released a photo of a man named as Driss Oubakir, whose documents were used to rent the van involved in the attack, reports the BBC.
However, latest reports suggest the 20-year-old Moroccan born has told the police that he was not involved and his documents were stolen.
The people injured in the Las Ramblas attack included four Australians and one from Hong Kong, reports CNN. Belgium has confirmed that one of its citizens was among the 13 victims.
Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has travelled to Barcelona and declared three days of national mourning.
Police guard the streets after Barcelona terror attacksWorld mourns Barcelona
The One World Trade Centre in New York lit up in the colors of the Spanish flag to show solidarity with Barcelona. In Paris, the Eiffel Tower went dark.
In a statement, US President Donald Trump said: "The United States condemns the terror attack in Barcelona, Spain, and will do whatever is necessary to help. Be tough and strong, we love you!"
Russian President Vladimir Putin said the attack in Barcelona was a "cruel and cynical crime committed against civilians".
Facebook has activated its safety check mechanism, allowing users both in Barcelona and Cambril to mark themselves as safe.
Read more at: Latest World News | Terror on wheels: how Europe faces spine-chilling attacks
