Dinner in Marmaris interrupted by huge explosion

A couple from Chiswick have been caught up in a terrorist attack in a Turkish seaside resort.

Rob Laughton and his wife Susan were having dinner with friends in Marmaris. They heard a huge explosion and rushed outside. They saw a badly damaged bus with bodies strewn around and moved away from the scene as quickly as possible according to a report in the Daily Telegraph. The Laughtons had been on a two week holiday in Marmaris.

The bomb they witnessed is believed to have been placed in one of the local minibuses that cater to tourists. They are called dolmuses which translates as 'stuffed' as usually the drivers will try to cram as many people into their vehicles as possible.

Mr Laughton said he and his wife and friends had been only about 20 metres away. "It was a 30-second walk from that restaurant. I just thought it was a crash but my wife said, 'That's more than a crash'."

Ten British people are believed to have been hurt in the attacks with four in a serious condition. There were at least three devices set of at the resort plus another in Istanbul. In all 22 people have been injured.

It is not the first time that people from Chiswick have been directly affect by terrorist attacks in Turkey. In 2003 Chiswick resident Roger Short was killed by an explosion at the British Consulate in Istanbul.

August 29, 2006