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Updated at 11pm
THE FAMILY OF a Spanish man who used his skateboard to try to defend woman from one of the assailants during the London attack have confirmed that he had died, ending an excruciating four-day wait.
“Ignacio didn’t survive the attacks,” Ignacio Echeverria’s sister Ana wrote on her Facebook page.
“My brother Ignacio tried to stop terrorists and lost his life trying to save others. Igna we love you and will never forget you,” his other sister Isabel wrote on Facebook.
Friends of Echeverria, who lived in London, were quoted in Spanish media as saying that they were walking in the area when they saw what they thought was an ordinary fight.
On closer look, it appeared that a man was beating a woman.
Echeverria rushed over to help and tried to defend her with a skateboard he had with him, prompting British media to dub him the “skateboard hero”.
Spain has criticised the sluggish pace of the British victim identification process, which led to an excruciating wait for Echeverria’s two sisters, two brothers and parents.
Earlier, police confirmed that French national Sebastien Belanger was another victim of the London Bridge terror attack to be identified.
The French national has been identified as one of the eight people who were killed during the incident.
The 36-year-old was living and working in the capital.
Met Police have said that a specially trained family liaison officers are supporting his family.
Two Australians
The family of Australian national Sara Zelenak, aged 21, who died during Saturday’s terror attack on London Bridge, have paid tribute to her.
Metropolitan Police detectives confirmed her identity earlier today.
“We are deeply saddened at the tragic loss of our beautiful daughter and sister of Harrison and Scott,” the family statement read.
“We would like to thank our friends and family who are helping up through this very difficult time.”
Earlier today, London police who have been searching for the body of a French national missing since Saturday’s terror attack recovered a body from the river Thames.
Detectives were appealing for information about Xavier Thomas, aged 45, a French national who had not been seen since the night of the terrorist attack on London Bridge.
Last night at around 7.45pm, the body of a man was recovered from the river, near Limehouse, by specialist officers from the Marine Police Unit.
Formal identification has not yet taken place, however Thomas’ next of kin have been informed of this development.
This discovery has risen the death toll of the attack to eight.
Australian staff nurse Kirsty Boden, 28, was killed as she ran to try to help the wounded in the attack on London Bridge, her family said in a statement.
“She was the most outgoing, kind and generous person,” her family said.
“We are so proud of Kirsty’s brave actions which demonstrate how selfless, caring and heroic she was.”
Sara Zelenak was the second Australian killed during the attack.
Christine Archibald, a 30-year-old Canadian, died in her fiance Tyler Ferguson’s arms after the attackers’ van mowed her down on London Bridge.
“My baby brother lost the love of his life,” Cassie Ferguson Rowe wrote on Facebook.
In a split second his entire life was ripped away from him. Hearing his painful sobs on the phone while he’s alone trying to deal with this tears me apart.
Her family said in a statement that she worked in a homeless shelter before moving to Europe to be with her fiance.
“She would have had no understanding of the callous cruelty that caused her death,” they said.
Frenchman Alexandre Pigeard, 26, was working as a waiter at Boro Bistro in Borough Market, when he was stabbed.
His father Philippe Pigeard said his son’s death was “an incredible injustice”.
He was a “wonderful son, a perfect big brother,” a “shining young man,” Pigeard told AFP.
Identified by bank card
James McMullan, a 32-year-old from Hackney, east London, was identified by a bank card found on his body, according to his sister.
He had been out with friends and had stepped outside for a smoke at a pub next to where the attackers crashed their van.
“While our pain will never diminish, it is important for us all to carry on with our lives in direct opposition to those who wish to destroy us and remember that hatred is the refuge of small-minded individuals,” Melissa McMullan told Sky News.
Off-duty police officers and a business editor were also among the 48 people who were injured in the attack.
With reporting from Hayley Halpin, Gráinne Ní Aodha, Órla Ryan, Cliódhna Russell and Cormac Fitzgerald.
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Not very “Labour” to vote against workers rights I would have thought.
Exactly. They should be made rename the party. Pity there aren’t more TD’s like McNamara!
Fair play to him for sticking to his principles and trying to bring us in line with international law and best practice. Shame the government didn’t support him.
But he can’t do that and the government can’t have a vote on that because I think it was the E.C.J. has ruled that it is illegal not to let the Gardaí the right to strike. So the E.U. has told this government they are breaking the E.U. law not to allow them to strike.
This is done for show for this useless government, the squeak of the worm not the turn as the E.U. will never allow that… lol.
If the guards did go on strike, how could we tell ?
The sale of doughnuts would collapse , that would be a likely indicator .
There wont be 15 standing over your water meter when you get home.
I’m nearly sure this is the first time a government has voted against a ruling that came from the European social charter. It just goes to show the lack of respect they have for army and gardai . At the very least they could begin to allow such groups to negotiate on pay and conditions themselves. Leave the strike issue for another time when more thought is put into it. It’s now the situation where gardai and army personnel are 2nd class citizens in all but name and these are the very people we need when we are at our most vulnerable. Incredible really.
I think that SF/IRA would be in favour of all of the defence forces going on strike.
There is no SF/IRA and never was
#labour cant afford to lose any more politicians as they face wipeout in next election. Seems strange even being allowed to bring in a bill that your own party is going to vote against. anyway glad it failed for once. have no respect for the cops in this country, and now they are looking for tasers. God help us all.
Fair Play to him but I can’t help thinking that a lot of people will be unruly in FG and Labour coming up to election time to give appearance of going against status quo etc.
They shouldn’t be allowed to strike as should transport operators especially CIE members
Why not strike how the nurses do then?
The E.U. has said it is illegal for this government to prevent them from striking and the government knows this, the rest is just spin for the news media but why is the government doing this, electioneering or what?
Trying to get a fine off the European Union I’d say.. They are only delaying the inevitable
Trying to get fines off the European Union
Ireland are not the only nation
And Oranges are not the only fruit.
The Gardai and the armed forces are not regular citizens. They should by all means be paid what is fair given their responsibilities but they should never be allowed to undermine the authority of the state. The armed forces in particular are an army that are servants of the sovereign state and should be heavily penalised for even suggesting a strike.
If you want special rules about their employment shouldn’t there be special rules about their treatment.. I.e mandatory sentence for attack on garda/emergency services?
Lots of deli food would be left over cos no lads would be up to the garages at closing looking for the free scraps!
Dave the Army cannot go on strike, that’s called a mutiny and can lead to imprisonment and loss of employment. They cover whoever else goes on strike ie fire service, prison service, bin men etc. It’s a seven day week too and for a 24hr duty they get €48 before tax.
48 euro before tax is criminal. Are you aware of any other armed forces around the world that can take industrial action Sean?
What a joke, he brings in a bill and his own party don’t support it. If memory serves me correctly didn’t Peter Mathews bring forward a bill and then vote against it because the party told him to do so ? That is not democracy !!
Niamh I’m almost sure this is all armies but here the army is not allowed into meeting about pay or conditions and are not represented unlike the Guards, nurses, firemen & prison officers. They all have unions or a representative body to fight their corner. The EU has said it is against EU law to not allow the military into pay meetings, yet this government just went against this finding.
Sean gardai are not allowed in to those meetings either. They have to employ a trade union to go in and do there bidding for them. Like the lads in the army they are treated like 2nd class citizens. Disgraceful
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