7-year-old Pinoy killed in Spain terror attack

A picture taken on August 18, 2017 shows tributes to the victims of the attack of Barcelona set up at the Font de Canaletes in Barcelona as they pay tribute to the victims of the Barcelona attack, a day after a van ploughed into the crowd, killing 14 persons and injuring over 100. Drivers have ploughed on August 17, 2017 into pedestrians in two quick-succession, separate attacks in Barcelona and another popular Spanish seaside city, leaving 14 people dead and injuring more than 100 others. Some eight hours later in Cambrils, a city 120 kilometres south of Barcelona, an Audi A3 car rammed into pedestrians, injuring six civilians — one of them critical — and a police officer, authorities said. AFP

A 7-year-old boy of Filipino descent was among the 14 fatalities in the terrorist attack in Barcelona, Spain, on Aug. 18, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed on Monday.

The boy was earlier reported missing while his 43-year-old Filipino mother was reported to have been seriously injured in the attack.

The Philippine Embassy in Madrid said the boy’s father, a British national who flew to Barcelona immediately after the incident, had identified the remains.

The boy was identified as British-Australian Julian Cadman by Catalonia’s civil protection agency.

In a heart-wrenching statement, Julian’s family described him as “a much loved and adored member of our family. As he was enjoying the sights of Barcelona with his mother, Julian was sadly taken from us.

“He was so energetic, funny and cheeky, always bringing a smile to our faces. We are so blessed to have had him in our lives and will remember his smiles and hold his memory dear to our hearts,” they said, thanking those who helped in the search for the boy.

Julian’s grandfather Tony Cadman had posted a Facebook appeal seeking him after a van on Thursday ploughed into crowds on Barcelona’s Las Ramblas boulevard which was packed with tourists.

The boy had been separated from his mother, who was found in a hospital in a serious but stable condition.

“We join the loved ones of our little brother in mourning his passing and in praying for the eternal repose of his soul,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said in a statement.

He said he had tasked Undersecretary for migrant workers affairs Sarah Lou Arriola to make sure “all possible assistance” is extended to the family of the deceased and to the other Filipino victims of the incident.

Chargé d’Affaires Emmanuel Fernandez said the boy’s mother remained under intensive care in a hospital after undergoing surgery for fractures in both legs and one arm.

The DFA earlier said the family had been living in Australia for the last three years. The mother and her son were in Barcelona last week to attend the wedding of a cousin from the Philippines.

Two other Filipinos based in Italy were also among at least 125 persons, including children, who were injured. —With an AFP report