Rafael Beaus's return to Barcelona has been delayed on the orders of the medical team that accompanied him on the flight back from Mumbai to London after a deterioration in his condition.

Mr Beaus, who sustained a broken femur on the first day of the attack, needs a blood transfusion after suffering a haemorrhage in a catheter fitted to deal with a collapsed lung, and is being treated at a hospital in London where he is expected to remain for the next few days at least.

Mr Beaus and his wife, María Rosa Romero, who sustained extensive shrapnel injuries, were in the reception area of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel when the terror attack began last Wednesday night.