Irish family of four caught up in Barcelona terror attack

An Irish family of four has been caught up in the terror attack in Barcelona that left 13 dead. Two of the family – parents originally from the Philippines who are naturalised Irish and their Irish-born children – were injured in the attack. A spokesperson for the Filipino Embassy in Madrid confirmed the injuries.

Emmanuel Fernandez, the Consul General of the Philippines Embassy in Madrid, told Spanish radio that two of the family had been injured. The father, he said, was injured “but okay”. The five-year-old son is more seriously hurt, however, and may need an operation.

He described the mother and daughter’s condition as being “okay”. The Philippines Embassy is providing assistance to the family. Fernandez said the family had arranged the trip to Barcelona to celebrate the five-year-old’s birthday. They have been named as Norman and Pederlita Putot, and their children Nathaniel and Pearl.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney said that the boy had a broken femur and the father also had leg injuries. Meanwhile, the Taoiseach, the President and Minister for Foreign Affairs have all condemned the terror attack. At around 4 pm yesterday, a white van drove onto the popular Las Ramblas promenade and drove into crowds of pedestrians. 13 people were killed and more than 100 injured.

Overnight, Spanish police shot and killed five attempted attackers in the seaside town of Cambrils. The men had driven into pedestrians, injuring seven people. Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the Barcelona attack. Taoiseach Leo Varadkar expressed his abhorrence at the attack in Barcelona.