Island family safe on ship after Tunisia terror attack
‘Everyone is crying,’ after gunmen kill 19
A Victoria woman caught up in a bloody terrorist attack in Tunisia has reached out to friends and family on Facebook to let them know her family is safe.
Sue Hamel, her husband, Bo Turner, and sons, Brett and Reid, are on a cruise ship docked in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, where gunmen killed 19 people Wednesday at the National Bardo Museum.
Hamel said two passengers and a crew member on her cruise ship were killed in the attack. Twelve people from the ship are injured and in hospital, she wrote.
It’s not known where her family was or what they were doing when the attack took place.
“To everyone that knows we are in Tunisia today, there was a terrorist attack here today — 17 people killed, including people from our ship. We are OK,” Hamel posted at 10 a.m. Victoria time, 6 p.m. in Tunis.
Even though her family is safe, Hamel appeared desperate to leave Tunisia. The departure of her cruise ship had been delayed.
“Who knows when we’ll leave,” she wrote.
“Still on the ship. Can’t leave the port due to security. … Talked to people on the ship that were there. OMFG. I don’t think I will ever leave Canada again. Hug your kids,” Hamel posted.
Later, Hamel wrote a post on Facebook saying she was sad: “… authorities came to retrieve the effects of family killed. Please get us out of here. Again, hug your kids. We did.”
In a private message to the Times Colonist, Hamel wrote: “Everyone is crying. The people sitting beside us were in the museum and were shot at. They saw people killed. They were brought back by police. Surreal.”
Dozens of friends expressed shock and sent best wishes, glad to hear that the family is safe.
“Oh my goodness! Scary to be so near to something so awful! Take care Sue & family. Praying for safety the rest of the trip,” Katrina Cutbill wrote.
“OMG, so glad you are OK. Stay safe,” Krista O’Connor wrote.
Officials said most of the people killed in the attack were tourists from Poland, Italy, Spain, Germany and Colombia. At least two people were Tunisians.
The gunmen, who wore military-style uniforms and wielded assault rifles, burst from a vehicle and began gunning down tourists coming off buses at the National Bardo Museum. The attackers then charged inside to take hostages.
At least 44 people were wounded, said Prime Minister Habib Essid. Two gunmen were slain by security forces.
Authorities launched a manhunt for two or three accomplices.