Catalan police have confirmed that at least 13 people have died as a result of a van crashing into crowds of people in the city's Las Ramblas district this evening.

Authorities are treating the incident as a terrorist attack. Catalonian interior minister Joaquim Forn confirmed the number of dead on Twitter. https://twitter.com/quimforn/status/898247698951929856 Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack. Police described the attack as a "massive crash" and urged people to stay away from the area. Sky News has reported that two people have been arrested in connection with the attack. Catalan police also released a photo of one suspect who is now in police custody. https://twitter.com/SkyNews/status/898256849828552704 Previous widespread reports suggesting that multiple people were "holed up" in a Barcelona bar have proved to be false. The Las Ramblas district is a popular tourist area and is mainly pedestrianised.