"This loss is unbearable." Mum-of-two on holiday in New York City named as terror victim.

A 31-year-old Belgian mother has been named as one of eight people killed when a driver in a rented van drove down a popular bike path running along the Hudson River in Manhattan on Halloween.

The New York City Police Department, in a post on Twitter, said that one vehicle struck another, then the driver of one of the vehicles “got out displaying imitation firearms”.

Police said the suspect was shot by officers and has been taken into custody. The incident has been labelled as an act of terror.

Ann-Laure Decadt, from the Belgian town of Staden, was visiting New York City with her mother and two sisters when she was hit by the van.

Decadt was a mum of two sons, one aged three years and the other just three months.

Speaking to Belgium’s HLN newspaper, Decadt’s husband, Alexander Naessens said he learned of his wife’s death when a NYC hospital called him to break the news. He said he was told she had been riding her bike when she was hit from behind.

"This loss is unbearable and cannot be overcome," he told the publication.

"She was a wonderful wife and the most beautiful mum of our 3-month- and 3-year-old sons."

Ann-Laure's mother and sisters were unharmed in the attack.

The mayor of the town where the 31-year-old lived described her as a young mum who was known for her "commitment to the community".

"It's an attack not only in New York but also an attack on our community — on our way of life," Staden Mayor Francesco Vanderjeugd told the New York Post.

"Everybody knows each other. It's like a bomb exploded here."

The young mother wasn't the only tourist visiting the city who was killed in the attack: five of the victim were longtime friends, visiting New York from Argentina to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their high school graduations.

Five old friends from Argentina reunited in New York. They died together in a terrorist attack. https://t.co/nZGEsmaZHq

— Washington Post (@washingtonpost) November 1, 2017

A sixth friend, Martin Ludovico Marro, was injured in the attack and is recovering in hospital.

When speaking of the victims, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said the six foreign victims would be forever remembered as New Yorkers.

"[They] came from other nations because they saw New York as a special place to be, and we now and forever will consider them New Yorkers," he said.

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"They shared this tragedy with us. We will remember them as New Yorkers."

Two locals - 32-year-old Darren Drake of New Jersey and 23-year-old Nicolas Cleves from New York - were also killed.

The recent attack is the deadliest the city has seen since September 11, 2001.

"We know that this action was intended to break our spirit," Mayor de Blasio told a press conference

"But we also know that New Yorkers are strong, New Yorkers are resilient, and our spirit will never be moved by an act of violence, an act meant to intimidate us."