[NinaG]

Hello,
I'm a journalist at the Sunday Telegraph in London and am so sorry to have heard about the tragic events in Kusadasi.
I hope those of you in K are fine and that your friends and families are safe.
I wondered if anyone over in Kusadasi would talk to me about how they feel/what happened?
I am also trying to talk to British people who are over there or who have cancelled holidays or decided still to go as it could have happened anywhere.
If you know of anyone or could help. I would be grateful. I realise this is a difficult time so I am sorry to ask at this time but I would need to talk to you/them today.
If you can help you can email me at nina.goswami@telegraph.co.uk
Thanks

[gareth]

Hello,

I'm a journalist writing for The Sunday Times of London. Much as I hate to troll under circumstances like these, I see a colleague has already posted. So, not wanting to be left out, my mail is.........
gareth.walsh@sunday-times.co.uk

Many thanks

[Christine]

We own an apartment in Kusadasi, and would be grateful for any more details of the explosion. Sincere sympathy to those involved

[Umit]

i think this is what you are looking for:
http://forum.kusadasi.biz/showthread...4997#post34997

[NinaG]

See below.
I wondered if you would mind talking to me at all about your feelings?
If so could you email me?
Thanks.

==========

In the last half hour one of the dead has been confirmed as an Irish woman.

Six Britons have been injured in a suicide bomb blast in Turkey, just nine days after the carnage on the streets of London.

Five Britons were seriously injured and one sustained minor injuries in the blast on a minibus in the popular resort of Kusadasi, the Foreign Office said.

Officials are not aware of any British deaths but consular staff were at the scene.

A suicide bomber is thought to have blown herself up on the bus, killing at least three others.

Local authorities said 14 people 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 could be the work of al Qaida, or Kurdish rebels who recently bombed other Aegean resort towns.

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.

Erval Kahvevi, from the Eurostar restaurant in central Kusadasi, said he had been watching local television reports of the blast.

The bus had been a public minibus which had left the central bus station and was heading towards an area known as Kadinlar Denizi, locally known as Ladies Beach, he said.

The blast happened at about 10.45am, he said, and the wounded had been taken to the local government hospital.

He added: "Five people have been reported dead and there are others in hospital.

"The bus could hold about 13 people, it is a small bus."

The blast happened on a road in the centre of town called Ataturk, he added.

A tourist guide to Kadinlar Denizi says minibuses depart from the centre of Kusadasi to Ladies Beach every five minutes.

Turkish newspaper Zaman online reported several dead and wounded.

It added: "The explosion occurred at 10.30am today in a commuter mini-van at a spot where another blast earlier had occurred near Ataturk Square."

Pictures and footage of the minibus showed that it was blown apart in the blast.

People could also be seen being carried away from the area.

Iham Nehr, who works at the Dias Hotel in Kusadasi, said he had several British guests who were currently at the beach.

The blast had occurred on a minibus which was part of the local bus system known as the "Dolmus", he said.

"It's a very cheap way of travelling and is used by local people and tourists.

"The people on the bus were a mix of tourists and locals and the bus can fit about 15 or 20 people," he added.

Police had cordoned off the area and were examining the wreckage, he added.

Turkish journalist Semih Idiz told Sky News that four people had been killed and 14 were in hospital, some in a critical condition.

Local reports also said forensic teams were at the scene.

A spokesman for the Association of British Travel Agents (Abta) said Kusadasi was a popular destination for British holidaymakers.

He estimated that the number of Britons in the region would be in the "high hundreds or low thousands".

He added: "All the big tour operators go there and it is very popular for package deals.

"It is not the school holidays yet and so there will not be many families there but Turkey is always seen as a good value destination."

Earlier this month a bomb hidden in a soda can wounded 21 people, including three foreign tourists, in the Aegean coastal town of Cesme.

On April 30, a bomb in a cassette player killed a police officer and left four others wounded in Kusadasi.

A Kurdish guerrilla group that called itself the Kurdistan Freedom Falcons Organisation, or TAK, claimed credit for both attacks and vowed to maintain attacks against tourist areas.

Since 1984 the Turkish military has been battling rebels of the autonomy-seeking Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, in the overwhelmingly Kurdish south-east, a conflict that has claimed some 37,000 lives.

Fighting in the region tapered off after a rebel truce in 1999, which followed the capture of PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan.

But there has been a surge in violence since June 1, 2004, when the rebels declared an end to their cease-fire, saying Turkey had not responded in kind.

TAK is believed to be linked to the PKK.

[Umit]

I am writing my feelings to both of You in an email.

[MaeveQuigs]

Hi there
I am a journalist working in Dublin and we are desperately trying to find out about the Irish girl who has died as we believe she may have been travelling with other Irish people.
We have been trying Irish bars but it has been difficult to get phone numbers for them from here.
If anyone can supply me with phone numbers or any further information please contact me at m.quigley@mgn.co.uk or call 00 3531 8688633
Thank you
Maeve

[Umit]

Maeve, when i get certain information then i will let you know. But unfortunately, there is an Irish girl who is a student and she is one of four victims. To confirm this, i have to get the victims names. I will send you an email when i get certain informations.

--------------
Update:
Tana Wihalen is the name of the Irish girl who is one of the four victims in the blast.

[Croushy]

I got the name of the dead irish girl, but dont no if i can post it here. Ok Umit did it, in France the name is Tara Wahley.

[Umit]

It is not certain yet that but i get victims' names;

-Eda Okyay (Turkish)
-Deniz Tutum (Turkish)
-Tana Whalen (Irish)
-Helen Pallhall (English)
-Ufuk Yücedemir (Turkish)

(from a Turkish news resource; Milliyet news services)