Jerseyman's account of Tunisian massacre aftermath

Monday 29 June 2015

One Jerseyman was next door to the hotel where 30 Brits were killed in Friday’s Tunisian beach massacre.

He told his story to Bailiwick Express, but asked not to be named for security reasons…

“We heard the gunshots on Friday afternoon from our hotel on our way to the pool and on the orders of the Thomson holiday reps and hotel staff stayed inside and waited patiently for further information.

“It was unclear how many gunmen there were and the stories were all very mixed and had no definitive answer so it wasn't obvious if there was another gunman on the loose or not.

“When the reps finally had an answer at 9:30 pm they gathered as many people into the theatre room as possible and did their best to say ‘There are two aircraft coming from Manchester now, there are enough seats for all of you if you choose to leave, it is optional. You have 30 minutes to pack your bags and coaches will be coming and escorted to the airport.’

“We had already packed our bags as this was always going to be the outcome due to the gravity of the situation, it was just a matter of time.

“We went to the room, sealed the bags and waited patiently for what seemed like an age for the coaches. The hotel staff were all there to say goodbye to us and keep us safe, we felt devastated for them as they believed not only in their hotel but in their country and to see it being torn apart was horrible.

“The coaches took us to the airport and it showed two 767-300s to Manchester and further flights to Doncaster, Sheffield and Gatwick were to depart later that morning at 3:30 am.

“We were waiting for the flight and they boarded us, the planes had been taken out of the hangar that night and had no catering, just crew basically and they got some water bottles from the airport and gave us these and said to use the water fountains on board.

“We sat waiting for an hour after the scheduled departure time on the tarmac for a few passengers bags, everyone was quiet and they just wanted to go, the tension only really ended when the aircraft arrived in Manchester - everyone cheered on the landing and we were taken to the terminal.

“We waited for a coach which took a while and never came so we were put in a taxi and sent back home.

“Thomson really looked after us and in such a horrific situation they looked after every angle of the operation to the best of their ability under difficult circumstances, it hasn't really sunk in yet just how lucky we are or how different the situation could have been.”