Family speaks of sadness of Barcelona terror attack

A MOTHER from Twyford who was visiting Barcelona with her disabled daughter when a terrorist ploughed into crowds of tourists has spoken of her sadness at the attack.

Jane Holmes, who was visiting the Spanish city with her husband and their 15-yearold daughter, said the trip was thrown into chaos following the terror attack in Las Ramblas on Thursday, August 17.

A van ploughed into pedestrians along the street popular with tourists and sightseers, while hours later, another vehicle sped through the town of Cambrils, around 75 miles south of the city, crashing into pedestrians before hitting a police vehicle.

The five occupants of the car then went on to stab a number of bystanders, before being shot dead by police.

A total of 16 people died in the attacks, while 24 people remain in hospital.

Mrs Holmes said: “Barcelona was a great choice for us as a family. My daughter wanted bright lights, big city and my husband and I wanted the sea and a bit of culture.

“The second day of our holiday we decided to venture into the city, from our hotel a couple of miles up the coast, to do some proper sight-seeing.

“We got off the bus at the end of Las Ramblas, the plan being to walk up to Plaza de Catalunya and have lunch in a fifth floor restaurant overlooking it, then head over to the ancient cathedral afterwards.

“All went gloriously to plan, but we had trouble getting into the Cathedral because of my daughter's wheelchair, so just decided to have a quick drink in a nearby square, enjoy the Cathedral from the outside and then head back to the bus stop for home, which we did at about 4.30pm.

“It wasn't until we got back to our hotel about half an hour later that I got an urgent message from my mother-inlaw asking if we were safe.

“It was then that the awful news unfolded that there had been a vile and catastrophic terror attack, just a few metres from where we had been waiting for the bus.”

Mrs Holmes said that a host of ‘what if?’ scenarios ran through her head, but the family were determined to enjoy the remainder of their trip.

She said: “The following day or two, I think most people were jumpy.

“We were on the beach when an ambulance went past with its siren blaring... many of us leapt to our feet, fearful of another attack.

“Two days later, my husband insisted we returned to the city centre to continue with our holiday as planned.

“Of course it was crawling with police, but generally felt safe.

“Poor, beautiful Barcelona with its wonderful people, joins the sad list of cities which have been targeted in this way.

“A holiday tainted for us, but lives ended for some and ruined for others.

“And a city devastated by grief.”