Lord of the Dance
All Irish tourists 'accounted for' following Indonesia earthquake
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All Irish tourists 'accounted for' following Indonesia earthquake

ALL Irish tourists caught up in Sunday's earthquake on the Gili Islands in Indonesia have been located and taken to safety.

Irish Ambassador to Indonesia Kyle O’Sullivan confirmed that all 50 Irish holidaymakers in the area close to where the earthquake struck have been removed.

The 6.9 magnitude quake in the Lombok area of the country killed 98 people and left more than 236 injured.

Speaking to RTE’s Morning Ireland this morning, Mr O’Sullivan said that 50 tourists the embassy was aware of were safely removed from the area.

A further 50 to 60 tourists are estimated to be in the Bali area.

Two days after the tragic event, emergency services are still pulling people from the rubble of destroyed buildings, with the death and injury toll expected to rise further.

“The islands are idyllic – there are no cars, no airports, so when crisis hits it’s very difficult,” Mr O’ Sullivan said.

“As far as we can tell all the Irish are off the Gili Islands.

“We think we have matched all the lists. There could be one or two that we don’t know about.”

Consular staff are currently in Lombok offering assistance to the rescue effort.