Irish student killed in bomb attack at Turkish resort

A young female Irish student has been confirmed as one of five people killed in an apparent suicide bombing at the Turkish holiday resort of Kusadasi today.

A British woman and a Turkish woman have also been confirmed dead.

Injured persons are helped as they sit next to the wreckage of a minibus following the explosion.

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman added there is not yet specific information about whether other Irish nationals are among the injured.

The Irish tour Operators Federation said a full refund would be provided to anyone due to travel to Turkey this weekend who decided not to travel. Up to 1,200 Irish tourists are believed to be staying in the resort.

The Irish student who is in her twenties, has not been named. She was travelling on a minibus to the beach with a number of other tourists when a female suicide bomber reportedly blew herself up, killing four and wounding 14. Local reporters say three women and two men were killed in the attack.

A spokesman for the government hospital in Kusadasi said victims of the blast were being treated at three hospitals in the area.

Five of those injured had been sent to the nearby university hospital, and two or three people were at the local private hospital.

One patient, a young boy, was being treated at the government hospital but his nationality was unknown.

The Taoiseach Bertie Ahern condemned the attack saying once more it appeared that the bombers have struck against ordinary people.

The Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern also condemned in the attack and extended his sympathies to the family of the Irish victim.

"I am deeply shocked by this cruel and senseless act. Four people have lost their lives, including a young Irish woman.

"I offer my deepest sympathies to her family and to the families of the other victims of this tragedy, as well as to those who were injured. There can be no justification whatsoever for this atrocity."

The Irish Ambassador in Turkey has requested that the Turkish authorities review security arrangements in tourist resorts in Turkey in the wake of this attack to ensure the safety of Irish and other holidaymakers.

The Department of Foreign Affairs is also reviewing its travel advice for Turkey in the light of this attack. For the time being, the Department reiterates its advice to all Irish citizens in Turkey or planning to travel there to exercise caution and to be particularly vigilant at all times.

Five Britons are confirmed among those seriously injured following the blast. Local authorities said 14 people in total were injured and several were in a critical condition.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but reports from the scene said it was carried out by a woman and it could possibly be the work of al Qaida. Kurdish rebels have also recently carried out bomb attacks in Aegean resort towns.

A British Foreign Office spokeswoman said: "There have been a number of fatalities and injuries. "Our senior honorary consul in Izmir is on the way to the hospital.

"Consular staff are at the scene." Kusadasi lies 45 miles south-east of the port city of Izmir, south-west Turkey. It is a popular destination for British holidaymakers, who take advantage of cheap package deals to the area.

• Sunworld Holidays has provided a helpline for those concerned about the bombing. It is manned until 10pm tonight and from 10am tomorrow. (01) 881 4300