Repatriation of international victims of Barcelona attack to start 'as quickly as possible'

The bodies of the international victims from the Barcelona attack will be identified and repatriated "as quickly as possible". The Foreign Affairs Minister of Catalonia, Raül Romeva, said on Saturday that forensic teams are working to guarantee that identifications and repatriations can finish soon so that "people can honor their dead" in their home countries.

So far, authorities have formally identified 9 of the 14 victims of the terrorist attacks, including two Portuguese, an Italian, a woman with Argentinian and Spanish citizenship and a US citizen. Authorities in Canada and Belgium have confirmed they have citizens among the casualties, although their bodies have not officially been identified yet. There are also 3 people with Spanish citizenship among those identified. 

There are also 54 people still in hospital, 12 in a critical condition. Of those, 50 are in Barcelona and 4 in Cambrils. Among the injured still in hospital, people from 22 different countries, including 13 French and 5 Germans. 

The attacks affected citizens from 34 countries from all over the world, as la Rambla is one of the most popular tourist spots in Barcelona. Minister Romeva met on Friday with the Foreign Affairs Ministers of Germany and France, Sigmar Gabriel and Jean-Yve Le Drian, an on Saturday with the Portuguese minister José Luis Carneiro. The Paris prosecutor has opened an investigation into the attacks, in which at least 26 French citizens were injured.