Incident in Barcelona

[Peter Fransiscus]

https://elpais.com

 

[alexwalker]

Truck/van into crowd near plaza Catalunia. At least 13 killed according to Reuters. Many wounded. One terrorist has fled into a restaurant. Possibly hostages inside. Still much uncertainty.

 

[sulu]

Spanish TV says 2 killed but many injured. The whole of the Ramblas area is sealed off and the trains and undergound are stopped.

 

[wayfarer]

Please keep this sad news to the facts as they come in for information purposes for any pilgrims who might be in the area and do not enter into speculation or politics.

 

[sulu]

rtve.es are now also saying 13 dead and 32 injured. The van drove into Las Ramblas.

 

[nycwalking]

News in Los Angeles, California also say 13 dead.

 

[James Borden]

Please keep this sad news to the facts as they come in for information purposes for any pilgrims who might be in the area and do not enter into speculation or politics.

Then you need to close this tread.

 

[peregrina2000]

Then you need to close this tread.

Hi, James, Welcome to the forum. You may be right about this thread, but I'm betting not. We have dealt with this kind of thing before, and forum members are usually good at "sticking to the facts." For many, it's a real service to get factual updates even though it's such a horrible occurrence. Not that pilgrims are any more deserving of mercy than others, but many of us are praying that they have escaped this nightmare unscathed.

 

[Peter Fransiscus]

Then you need to close this tread.

James , no it means no speculations .

 

[Kathar1na]

Please keep this sad news to the facts as they come in for information purposes for any pilgrims who might be in the area and do not enter into speculation or politics.

Yes, what people on the ground need to know right now are not the latest breaking news but the official instructions they are asked to follow. This is easier said than done in a foreign country. I understand from a TV interview with an official (Catalonia foreign minister? not sure I got this right) is that they provide this information through various communication channels and also in foreign languages.

I had a quick check and this is for example on Twitter through messages from @mossos (Catalonia police?) and Guardia Urbana BCN (Barcelona local police). I see messages in Spanish, English and French. Main advice: Avoid travelling into the center of town (i.e. keep out of the way of police and rescue services).

I also happened to read that Easyjet said that flights continue but they advise passengers to check with the airline, probably the same applies for other airlines.

PS: May I suggest that readers simply do not engage in general comments (don't post AND don't reply).

 

[alexwalker]

For pilgrims in Barcelona: Police now say that there is no hostage situation. Centre of Barcelona is closed area. Pilgrims/all others stay away from the city centre, preferably stay inside until situation is clear. Some Norw. citizens were within 10-20 metres from the van, and are now in hotel.

 

[Pabloke]

Yes, @Katharina, Mossos d'Esquadra is the catalonian police.

Just for the record, there are several police forces in Spain: Guardia Civil and Policía Nacional (national forces) and Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalonia), Policía Foral/Foruzaingoa (Navarre), Ertzaintza (Basque Country) and Policía Canaria (Canary Islands).

All of them are coordinated through the #112 emergency number.

Back in the topic, there's a number for relatives of people who could be affected: +34 900400012.

 

[Pabloke]

I hope the mods don't close this thread since it just pretends to be a source of information.

Not everybody likes everything, not everybody has to like everything, but we all should be able to respect others.

 

[trecile]

Before I left home I registered my travel plans with the US State Department. Less than an hour after the attack I received an email alert.
My thoughts are with the beautiful city of Barcelona and its people, and those who are visiting there.

 

[Tincatinker]

I'm closing this thread. Any necessary warning to pilgrims is all over the worlds media. @trecile has expressed the feelings of many I am sure.

People have died, others are injured. Many are grieving. Our prayers are perhaps more appropriate than any other actions.

 

[Kanga]

Any members who are transiting to the Camino through Barcelona and need specific information to help with any change in plans, should ask their questions in a new thread.