Daughters’ tears as life is recalled

Massacre victim was killed on 10th anniversary of husband’s death

A British grandmother died in the Sousse terror attack on the 10th anniversary of her husband’s death, an inquest has heard.

Lisa Burbidge, below, was among 38 people killed by extremist Seifeddine Rezgui, who opened fire at the five-star Riu Imperial Marhaba Hotel in the Tunisian resort.

The 66-year-old, from Gateshead, was on holiday with three friends when she was shot dead on June 26 2015, 10 years after the death of her husband Bill.

Her two daughters wept as a portrait of her life was read to the inquest at the Royal Courts of Justice in London, describing how she lived for her family, doted on her grandchildren and cared for her elderly mother.

The hearing into the deaths of the 30 British victims was told Mrs Burbidge was on the beach with her friend Jennifer McDine when they heard gunshots.

Ms McDine said in a statement that she had seen a police patrol about 15 minutes earlier and had even remarked how safe Tunisia was.

Moments later she hid behind her sunbed and glanced up to see a figure in black with a gun “just like the ones you see on the TV”.

She ran up the beach, thinking her friend was ahead of her, and hid inside a toilet cubicle in the hotel until the attack was over.

“It was just chaos, people were running all over the place while we were being shot at,” she added.

She and her other two friends waited in their room for hours afterwards for Mrs Burbidge to appear but she never arrived.

They finally identified her body at the hospital mortuary by her toenail polish, the inquest heard.

A post-mortem examination found Mrs Burbidge died from a gunshot wound to the head.

David Thompson, the oldest victim of the attack, was on holiday with longterm partner Anne Kear.

They were sitting by the pool when Ms Kear heard a “horrific sound like a bomb”, she said in a statement.

She started making her way to the hotel, along with a group of other holidaymakers, but realised the 80-yearold was not with her.

She said she was later taken to the hospital mortuary in Tunis to identify his body.

The inquest continues.