'I cried it brought back the horror' (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

'I cried it brought back the horror'

Sue Cooper with her brother PaulTHE sister of a Swindon man killed in Bali in 2002 says the second bombings have brought painful memories flooding back.

Sue Cooper burst into tears when she heard that the Indonesian island had been hit again at the weekend.

Her brother Paul Hussey, 46, was killed in the terrorist attack in the tourist-packed city of Kuta in October 2002.

He had been managing two hotels when he was killed by the bomb blast at the Sari nightclub, along with more than 300 people, including 30 Britons.

Sue was filled with shock when she heard about the bombing on Saturday, which saw bombs explode in three different restaurants.

She said: "I was in France on Saturday with friends when I received a call asking if I had heard about the bombing and I hadn't heard anything at all.

"It was not until Sunday that I did.

"When I finally saw what was going on it was just a complete shock.

"I think I cried, it has brought it all back just 11 days before the third anniversary.

"It was all so close to home. Kuta was the exact place Paul was killed and Jimbaran beach was one of his favourite places to visit.

"I remember we visited him in the May before the bomb in 2002 and we went to some of the restaurants along the beach and now it's all happened all over again."

Suicide bombers are being blamed for Saturday's blasts which are believed to have killed around 25 people and injured hundreds more.

Three near-simultaneous blasts ripped through two packed seafood cafes on Jimbaran beach and a three-story noodle and steak house in downtown Kuta at around 8pm just as thousands of diners were flocking to restaurants in the bustling tourist resort.

According to officials, the terrorists apparently walked into each restaurant carrying explosives around their waists before detonating them.

So far, two Australians and a Japanese person are confirmed dead, along with 12 Indonesians but officials are still unsure about the national identities of 10 other deceased.

It is understood there may be several Britons among the injured.

Indonesian authorities are now stepping up the hunt for two Malaysians Azahari bin Husin and Noordin Mohamed Top who have been on the country's most wanted list since the 2002 attacks on Bali and in the Indonesian capital of Jakarta in 2003 and 2004.

Sue, 52, who runs a guest house in Folkestone, is bitter at how British government officials have treated her family since 2002.

She is angered that no compensation has been given to the families even after nearly three years, while the victims of the London bombings in July are expected to get compensation imminently.

Mike Gallagher, from Salisbury, was caught up in Saturday's atrocity.

"I was two tables away from the second explosion," he said.

"After the first explosion on the beach, people were generally unsure as to what it was until the second explosion when the realisation dawned on us that they were bombs.

"The effect caused a ripple of people running in all directions.

"The scene of total desolation was in place with whispers of help from people who had been injured and half buried in the sand.

"To think that five minutes earlier the whole place was the busiest I had seen since coming here."

Anthony Osborne