News / Islander caught up in Barcelona attack
A WOMAN from Scalloway who was caught up in Thursday’s deadly terror attack in Barcelona has opened up on her ordeal.
Adel Smith was in a cafe on tourist spot La Ramblas near to where a van driver drove into people on the street, killing 13.
She told BBC Radio Shetland she took refuge in the cafe and was “too scared to move”.
Adel was unhurt and left Barcelona to fly back to Shetland.
She said she was about a minute further up from the incident and realised something was wrong when she saw people along the street running in panic.
Shops and cafes quickly closed up as word filtered through about what had happened.
“I was there [in the cafe] for 45 minutes, I think, too scared too move,” Adel said.
“It’s gone from being so bustling and happy to just quiet and eerie, and everyone was just on their phone calling families. There was just police everywhere outside and sirens.
“I called my parents straight away and then I went outside, and there was like police putting up all the barriers, and there was a helicopter coming over the top.”
Adel said she was a keen traveller and won’t let the incident deter her in future.
“You can’t live in fear. You can’t stop doing the things you want to do, because then they win,” she said.
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