Paris attack victims: Father-of-one died when he took a bullet for his girlfriend

Yannick Minvielle was shot dead when he jumped in front of his girlfriend as one of the Bataclan terrorists prepared to shoot her

Halima Saadi, left, and Houda Saadi, right, were celebrating a birthday in a Paris cafe when they were attacked. Ludovic Boumbas, centre, tried to save them, but all three eventually died 

Desperate loved-ones hoping for news of the missing after the Paris attacks took their search to the world through social media.

A special stream of messages on Twitter, all grouped under the tag “#rechercheParis” - meaning “search Paris”, has taken the place of an official list of the missing.

In the hours after the attacks it swelled with names and pictures of brothers, sisters, girlfriends and boyfriends, not seen since heading off for a night out in Paris. Most are the faces of students and young professionals, from France and other countries across the world. The youngest listed was a girl of just 17.

In a few cases the messages are followed up with relieved updates or, for some, news that that they were injured but alive.

But for many there was no news at all.

French President Francois Hollande said on Monday in a special joint session of parliament at the Palace of Versailles, that the Paris attacks targeted "youth in all its diversity".

Mr Hollande said that the attackers targeted "the France that likes life, culture, sports, parties" and added the victims were of 19 different nationalities.

Among the confirmed dead:

Yannick Minvielle, 39, from Chalon-sur-Saone, France

Yannick Minvielle from Chalon-sur-Saone, France, was killed at the Bataclan

Yannick Minvielle was killed at the Bataclan on Friday night.

Described as a hero father-of-one, he was shot dead when he jumped in front of his girlfriend as one of the Bataclan terrorists prepared to shoot her.

Friends of Yannick told the Evening Standard how he sacrificed his own life to save his partner.

A friend of the couple, Maud Lavissiere said through tears: "He was trying to protect her, he stood in front of her and then all of a sudden he was dead. A bullet went straight through his head.

"His girlfriend is in a bad way. She's traumatised. She lives because of him. It's something that will haunt her forever."

Houda Saadi, 33, and Halima Saadi, 34, from Tunisia

Paris victim Halima Saadi

The two young Tunisian sisters who lived in the French region of Creusot were killed while celebrating a friend's birthday in Paris, according to the Tunisian foreign ministry.

Paris victim Houda Saadi

Halima reportedly died at the scene, while Houda died later of her injuries.

Le Parisien has reported that their friend Ludovic Boumbas (below) died trying to save their lives.

Ludovic Boumbas, from France

Hailed as a hero of the Paris massacre, Ludovic (known as Ludo) died after throwing himself in front of a bullet, saving Chloe Clement who is recovering in hospital.

Ludo reportedly launched himself at the crazed fanatic gunman in a hail of bullets. He was one of 11 friends at a birthday celebration who died.

Today, his friends paid tribute to Ludo's selfless bravery and called him 'a hero'.

Paris victim Ludovic Boumbas

An unnamed friend told Le Parisien: 'Ludo threw himself forward to protect a girl and took the bullet. She was also shot, but she survived and is in hospital.

'He loved travelling the world and above all he loved people. He was just one of life's good, good people. He didn't stand a chance.'

Now recovering in hospital, Ms Clement is so affected by the attack that she simply lies in bed repeating Mr Boumbas’s name. She is so traumatized by the experience that she can hardly speak.

Virgile Grunberg, 27, the manager of Café des Anges, went to visit Chloe in hospital and reportedly said:

"She was on morphine and was in shock. She would barely speak.

"She felt guilty because Ludovic died for her. She just kept repeating his name again and again."