KUALA LUMPUR (BERNAMA) - Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak has expressed his deepest condolences to the families of victims of the van attack in Barcelona that left at least 13 people dead and over 100 injured.

In a tweet on Friday (Aug 18), Datuk Seri Najib described the attack as despicable.

"Deepest condolences to the loved ones of innocent victims who lost their lives and were affected by the despicable attack in Barcelona," Najib posted.

According to Reuters, at least 13 people were killed and more than 100 injured after a van rammed through crowds in the heart of Barcelona. It was reported that the attackers abandoned the van and fled the scene.

The news agency reported that following the attack, the security authorities launched a special operation to hunt down the attackers.

It also quoted a Catalan police spokesman as saying that the police had killed four attackers in Cambrils, south of Barcelona, and seriously injured another following the operation there against what authorities called a terrorist attack.

The Barcelona attack is the worst in Spain since the 2004 Madrid bombings which killed 191 people.