(RNN) - A van ran over several people in Las Ramblas, a promenade in Barcelona and a large tourist attraction.
Local news outlets are reporting two dead, according to Sky News.
CNN reported that two armed men fled, leaving a white van at the scene. They ran into a nearby restaurant, where witnesses said they heard gunfire.
The Associated Press reports the two men are "holed up in a bar."
According to El Pais in Spain, authorities are treating the incident as a terrorist attack.
Spanish police called the incident a "massive crash," and urge people to stay away from the are around Placa Catalunya, one of the most visited sites in Barcelona.
Downtown areas have been evacuated.
At least a dozen emergency response teams are treating the injured. Reports on social media show many people on the ground.
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 are sheltering in nearby cafes and shops. Esparcia said he was taking cover inside a Starbucks.
Copyright 2017 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
