The Bali
terrorist bombing occurred on October 12,
2002 in the town of Kuta
on the Indonesian island of Bali, killing
202 people and injuring a further 209, most
of whom were foreign tourists. It is considered
the deadliest act of terrorism in Indonesian
history.
A number of Indonesians were sentenced to
death for their parts in the bombings and
in October 2002 Abu Bakar Bashir, a leader
of the Jemaah Islamiah organisation often
accused of being behind the attacks, was
charged over his alleged role in the bombing.
The bombing
At 11:05pm (1505 UTC) on 12 October 2002,
an electronically triggered bomb ripped
through Paddy's
Bar, driving the injured out into the
street. Approximately ten to fifteen seconds
later, a second much more powerful car bomb
concealed in a white Mitsubishi van exploded
in front of the Sari
Club. Windows throughout the town were
blown out. Scenes of horror and panic inside
and outside the bars followed, with many
acts of individual heroism. The local
hospital was unable to cope with the
number of injured, particularly burn victims.
Many of the wounded, of all nationalities,
were flown by the Royal Australian Air Force
to hospitals in Darwin and other Australian
cities.
The final death toll was 202, the majority
of them holiday-makers in their 20s and
30s who were in the two bars. Many Balinese
working in the
bars were also killed. Hundreds more
people suffered horrific burns and other
injuries. The largest group among those
killed were holiday-makers from Australia.
The Bali bombing is sometimes called "Australia's
September 11" because of the large
number of its citizens killed in the attack.
The nationalities of the dead were believed
to be:
Three
bodies remained unidentified and were cremated
at Bali in September 2003.
The
2002 Bali Terrorist Bombing, Kuta
Australian
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