Several injured after van crashes onto pavement in the Las Ramblas area of Barcelona

Police officers tell members of the public to leave the scene (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

POLICE in Spain say several people have been injured after a van crashed into pedestrians in Barcelona.

The incident happened on Las Ramblas, a busy city centre street popular with tourists and locals.

AFP report that Barcelona police are calling the incident a ‘terrorist attack’.

The driver of the van is reported to have fled on foot and Spanish authorities have warned people to avoid the area.

Eyewitnesses reported seeing people running away and screaming after the incident happened.

Glasgow University rector Aamer Anwar, who is currently in the city, posted video footage of Las Ramblas on Twitter which he said was”jam-packed” with tourists.

He told Sky News: “All of a sudden, I just sort of heard a crashing noise and the whole street just started to run, screaming. I saw a woman right next to me screaming for her kids.

“Police were very, very quickly there, police officers with guns, batons, everywhere. Then the whole street started getting pushed back.”

Can't believe this I'm on Ramblas, heard screaming & whole street ran- a car believed drove in2crowd- had walked down 10secs earlier pic.twitter.com/LPGBCYupfv

— Aamer Anwar?? (@AamerAnwar) August 17, 2017

Mr Anwar described the scene as “chaos”, with everyone in “panic mode”.

He added: “Police officers who got there just started screaming at people to move back, move back.

“One of the shopkeepers tried to speak to him. He said he saw five or six people seriously injured on the ground, a van had driven into people.

“And literally within probably 30 seconds, police vans, ambulances, police officers with guns, were piling out and we were being sectioned off and then being pushed rapidly back down Ramblas.”