Driver mounts pavement and crashes into several people sitting at a terrace bar in Marbella

A car has plowed into several people sat on a terrace at a bar in the Costa del Sol holiday resort of Marbella, injuring eight people according to local reports.

A police spokeswoman said officers arrested the car’s driver and are investigating the incident. 

Police and paramedics rushed to the premises, which is in an area of the centre of town near the beachfront which is full of cafes and eateries and is hugely popular with tourists.  

Online videos from the scene of the crash, one of the main thoroughfares in the coastal resort city, showed ambulances and police officers while waiters cleaned up or assisted people on the ground.

The incident took place in the mid-afternoon as the area was brimming with customers having lunch, said Raul Morote, whose family owns several restaurants on the popular avenue.

‘The car was zigzagging and sweeping away everything,’ Morote told AP. He added he could see about a dozen people being assisted on the spot by emergency crews, many of them with blood covering their legs.

Police in Marbella were not immediately available for comment, but El Espanol newspaper reported the driver was a young local man who was in the car with his parents and police were not treating the accident as terrorism-related. 

Some reports suggested the man was suffering from mental health issues. 

Pictured: A woman lies on the ground after being involved in the car crash in Marbella on Monday that saw a car plough through a crowd of people, injuring at least five

Pictured: Bystanders try to help a person who was involved in the crash in Marbella on Monday

Pictured: The car (left and right) that plowed through the crowd in Marbella on Monday

Local police reported that five people had been taken to the Costa del Sol Hospital, one of them with serious injuries, according to The Sun.

It is not yet clear how many people have been hurt in total and whether anyone could have been killed.

According to local media a 30-year-old man, believed to be the person driving the car, has been arrested following the incident.  

A video appeared to show the man sitting dazed in the car as it was surrounded by witnesses to the crash, as people around ran to try and help the injured or contact the emergency services.

Another video showed the trail of destruction left by the car, with chairs smashed and scatters and people – some covered in blood – seen sitting on the floor. 

The bar is in a street called Avenida Miguel Cano, near the spot where holidaymakers start tours of the Marbella in horse-drawn carriages. 

Online videos from the scene of the crash (pictured), one of the main thoroughfares in the coastal resort city, showed ambulances and police officers while waiters cleaned up or assisted people on the ground

Pictured: The scene in Marbella on Monday from above showing the crashed car (left) and emergency service vehicle lining the street (right) following the crash

Police and paramedics (pictured) rushed to the premises, which is in an area of the centre of town near the beachfront which is full of cafes and eateries and is hugely popular with tourists

Police have yet to make any official comment on the incident, that took place at around 3:30 p.m. local time (2.30 p.m. GMT).

Several ambulances and at least one fire engine was shown in pictures from the scene, where the car had appeared to crash into a shop front. 

Fully-vaccinated British holidaymakers are now spared quarantine when they return to the UK from Spain.

The new rule came into effect today.

More to follow…