The seven-year-old British-born boy lost in the Barcelona terror attack has been confirmed dead, with his family saying they were 'blessed' to have had him in their lives.

Relatives of Julian Cadman, a dual British-Australian national, appealed for information about his whereabouts after he became separated from his mother in the massacre on Las Ramblas that left 14 dead and at least 120 injured.

His father Andrew, a 42-year-old cabinet maker, was reportedly taken to the forensic institute, which includes a mortuary, when he arrived from his home in Sydney, Australia, on Saturday.

Julian's mother - who is from the Philippines and known as Jom - is recovering in hospital with broken legs after being hit by the van driven by an ISIS jihadi. She was in the city with her son for her niece's wedding.

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Julian Cadman, who was separated from his mother Jumarie when a van rammed into pedestrians on Las Ramblas killing 13 on Thursday, has been confirmed dead

Hopes faded for a seven-year-old British boy (right with his mother) lost in the Barcelona terror attack when his father arrived in the city on Saturday and was taken to a forensic centre. Pictured left: A friend or relative being escorted by police to the forensic institute

In a statement, released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Australia, his family said: 'Julian was 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.

'We would like to thank all those who helped us in searching for Julian. Your kindness was incredible during a difficult time.

'We also acknowledge we are not the only family to be affected by the events, our prayers and thoughts are with all people affected.'

The Catalonia region's emergency services identified two other victims as Belgian and Italian on Sunday, though their names have not been released.

Mrs Cadman - who is from the Philippines and known as Jom - is recovering in hospital with broken legs. She is pictured with her son (right) and left, Julian with his father

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop also confirmed Julian's death.

Bishop said in a statement: The Australian government is deeply saddened to confirm that Julian Cadman, a seven year old Australian boy, was among those killed in the terrorist attack in Barcelona.

'We remain in close contact with the family who has requested privacy at this difficult and harrowing time and we ask the media to respect their request.'

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson tweeted: 'I send my sincerest sympathies to the family of Julian Cadman and all those who loved him. His death is a tragedy.

'The FCO, our Australian colleagues & the Spanish authorities continue to do all we can to support his family at this deeply distressing time.'

The Foreign Office in the UK also released the statement from Julian's family, paying tribute to the 'much loved and adored' youngster.

However, it added: 'We will not be making any further comments on this tragedy and ask everyone, especially the media, to give us the privacy we need to grieve away from the public eye.'

Julian is believed to have been wearing a white collared shirt, aviator sunglasses and a printed cap when he was last seen just hours before the shocking terror attack

The aftermath of the Las Ramblas attack is seen in an aerial view for the first time in this exclusive picture, taken by Briton John Ward from his balcony, just minutes after the terror atrocity. The picture shows: (1) An injured pedestrian being attended to. (2) A body amid the scattered papers of a news-stand. (3) A casualty wrapped in an emergency foil blanket. (4) Medics tending a badly injured person next to the clearly damaged terrorists' van. (5) Another covered body; (6) A victim caught up in the horror

A Foreign Office spokesman said: 'We are assisting the family of an Australian-British child who was killed in the Barcelona terrorist attack.

'His family have our deepest sympathies at this very difficult time. Our staff are doing all they can to support them, working with our Australian colleagues and the Spanish authorities.'

Julian's great aunt Norma Canaveral, 66, who is a nurse living in Plaistow, east London, said the family did not want to comment further.

She told Mail Online: 'I have been told that I should not give any more interviews. It is private and the family do not want to say anything.'

Julian's father, Mr Cadman, who flew overnight for 22 hours, landed in Barcelona airport on Saturday and was immediately met by Australian consular officials who took him to the justice centre in the city.

A car which had picked him up at the airport was seen arriving at the centre soon afterwards.

The centre includes a mortuary where the bodies of victims of crimes are stored to allow post mortems and forensic examinations to take place.

He is believed to have stayed at the centre for an hour before being driven to the Vell d'Hebron Hospital to visit his wife under police escort.

Five relatives and friends of Mrs Cadman were at her bedside. A hospital official said: 'It is a hard moment for them at this time. They are very upset.'

The youngster became separated from his mother during the attack. She is now in a serious condition in a Barcelona hospital, suffering serious injuries

He confirmed that Mrs Cadman had undergone surgery and was now receiving care in a surgery recovery unit.

Earlier on Saturday, a man who stayed by Mrs Cadman's side after she was injured in the attack revealed how she begged for information about her missing son.

British-Australian Julian, who was born in Kent in the UK but moved to Sydney three years ago, was pictured smiling hours before he was tragically separated from his mother during the chaos.

Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull addressed the tragic search for the seven-year-old at a Liberal Conference on Saturday asking all Australians to say a prayer for the 'little Australian boy'.

The boy was a student at St Bernadette's Primary in Lalor Park.

Las Ramblas, a street of stalls and shops that cuts through the center of Barcelona, is one of the city's top tourist destinations. People walk down a wide, pedestrian path in the center of the street while cars can travel on either side.

Police immediately cordoned off the city's broad avenue and ordered stores and nearby Metro and train stations to close.

Other witnesses also described horrific scenes and fearful crowds in the aftermath of the van attack, which has been claimed by the Islamic State.

Police have not confirmed Julian's condition but earlier tweeted: 'Neither were we searching nor have we found any lost child in the Barcelona attack. All the victims and injured have been located.'

The attack in the northeastern Spanish city was the country's deadliest since 2004, when al-Qaeda-inspired bombers killed 192 people in coordinated attacks on Madrid's commuter trains.

Spain has been on a security alert one step below the maximum since June 2015 following attacks elsewhere in Europe and Africa.

Cars, trucks and vans have been the weapon of choice in multiple extremist attacks in Europe in the last year.

The most deadly was the driver of a tractor-trailer who targeted Bastille Day revelers in the southern French city of Nice in July 2016, killing 86 people.

In December 2016, 12 people died after a driver used a hijacked truck to drive into a Christmas market in Berlin.

There have been multiple attacks this year in London, where a man in a rented SUV plowed into pedestrians on Westminster Bridge, killing four people before he ran onto the grounds of Parliament and stabbed an unarmed police officer to death in March.

Four other men drove onto the sidewalk of London Bridge, unleashing a rampage with knives that killed eight people in June.

Another man also drove into pedestrians leaving a north London mosque later in June.