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London Bridge attack: Spanish victim's heroic last moments revealed

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Ignacio Echeverría used skateboard to fight back against three terrorists after seeing them attack others

Details have emerged of the final, heroic moments of Ignacio Echeverría, the 39-year-old Spaniard who used his skateboard to take on the London Bridge terrorists.

Echeverría, who was from Madrid but lived in London and worked for HSBC, has been hailed as the “skateboard hero” because of his efforts to fight back against the attackers.

Guillermo Sánchez, a fellow Spaniard who had been skating near Tate Modern with Echeverría and another friend, told Spain’s El País that the trio had been on their way to have dinner in Whitechapel when they came across a man staggering through Borough Market.

At first, they thought he was drunk, but then they saw a police officer collapse to the ground and a woman being assaulted.

“I’m focusing on her and then, suddenly, I see that Ignacio’s there, starting to hit [the attackers] with his skateboard,” Sánchez told the paper.

“Then he falls to the ground – I don’t know how – I don’t know if he’s slipped or whatever, but he falls.”

After what Sánchez described as “microseconds”, he saw Echeverría lying on his back while one of the attackers stabbed him and the others stood close by. He said the terrorists were armed with carving knives.

“The last thing I remember is Ignacio, lying there still conscious and clutching his skateboard.”

Fearing for his life, Sánchez threw the bike he had been riding at the attackers and ran off with his other friend. They tried to turn back to help Echeverría, but were moved away by police.

In the aftermath of the attack, still in shock, they tried to find Echeverría through the Spanish embassy and the emergency helpline numbers. The next day, still looking for him, they got in touch with one of his sisters on Facebook.

On Wednesday afternoon, almost four days after the atrocity that left eight people dead and 42 injured, the Spanish government and Echeverría’s family confirmed that he had died.

In a post on Facebook, his sister Isabel wrote: “My brother Ignacio tried to stop the terrorists and lost his own life trying to save others. [Ignacio] we love you and we will never forget you.”

Another sister, Ana, posted: “Ignacio didn’t survive the moment of the attack. Thank you to all those who love and cared about him. We know we are not the only ones saddened.”

Speaking in London on Thursday morning, Ana Echeverría said that the manner of Ignacio’s death and the reactions it had elicited meant that “something very sad and very tough is turning into something more beautiful and magnificent, which makes us love our brother, our family, our friends and our country even more”. The family said they had been hoping to bring Ignacio’s body home on Friday but had been told that they might have to wait until next Tuesday.

The family thanked the Spanish government for its support and said they had been deeply touched by the responses of the people of London and of many strangers.

In a statement, the Spanish foreign ministry said it had received confirmation of Echeverría’s death with “great sadness and dismay”.

It added: “The government wishes to tell his family and friends that they are not alone in their pain and that Spain is with them, sharing their sense of desolation and standing by them at this terrible time.”

Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said Echeverría’s heroic actions would never be forgotten, adding that he would be honoured posthumously for his bravery.

Pedro Sánchez, the leader of the Spanish Socialist party, offered his condolences, while Pablo Iglesias, the head of the Podemos party, called Echeverría “an example of heroism and solidarity”.

Echeverría’s family and the Spanish government had previously expressed frustration over the delay in establishing his fate.

Speaking at a press conference during a visit to Moscow earlier on Wednesday, the country’s foreign minister, Alfonso Dastis, said he was “rather baffled” that the British authorities had not been able to clarify the situation more than three days after the London Bridge attacks.

“It’s really hard to understand the delay,” he said. “We can respect whatever protocols need to be observed, but you have to think of the situation the family – who are also victims – is going through. It’s a situation that isn’t far off being described as inhumane.”

Dastis had already raised the matter with his UK counterpart, Boris Johnson, asking him to speed up the identification process so as not to “add to the pain and anguish of the families”.

On Monday he told the Spanish news agency Efe: “We’re pushing the British authorities because, frankly, this isn’t the kind of thing that can go on and on.”

The Guardian