The family of Julian Cadman, a seven-year-old Australian boy reported missing following the deadly terror attack in Barcelona on Thursday, has confirmed that the child was among the 14 people killed during the attack at the La Rambla promenade.
A total of 15 people died from injuries suffered during the twin ramming attacks in Spain on Thursday, including 14 who were hit at La Rambla and a woman who was struck at Cambrils just hours later. A total of roughly 130 people were injured during the attacks.
Cadman, who had been visiting Spain with his mother, Jomarie, became separated from his mother during the Barcelona attack, when a white Fiat van ran down pedestrians at a popular tourist spot.
After he went missing, Cadman’s grandfather Tony reached out to media outlets, begging for help to locate his lost grandson, and Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Saturday urged people to pray for Julian’s welfare.
“There’s a little Australian boy whose mother was badly injured and he is lost, he’s missing in Barcelona,” Turnbull said.
“So I think we should all in our private moments say a prayer for that little boy. All of us as parents know the anguish his father is going through and his family is going through as they rush to find him in Barcelona.”
The Daily Mail reported on Saturday that Julian’s father, Andrew, had flown into Spain from his home in Sydney, Australia, where he was escorted by police to the morgue of a forensic institute.
Earlier, Spanish police had indicated in a Tweet that they had stopped searching for victims of the terror attack. “Neither were we searching nor have we found any lost child in the Barcelona attack. All the victims and injured have been located,” they said.
Julian had flown into Spain from Australia with his mother, Jom, for a wedding when the attack took place.
She was seriously injured in the attack, and has since been hospitalized in stable condition. Her husband visited her at the hospital after landing in Spain.
On Sunday, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs released a statement from the Cadman family, confirming Julian’s death.
“Julian was a much loved and adored member of our family,” the statement read.
“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.”
Julian Cadman is now the second confirmed child fatality from the Barcelona attack. Earlier, it was reported that three-year-old Javier Martinez was killed after he and his grand-uncle Francisco Lopez Rodriguez were run down on the La Rambla promenade by the terrorist.
