Shropshire holidaymakers speak of horror at Tunisian terror attack

Dan Edwards, 28 and his wife Vicky, 24, along with their three-year-old son Reuben, were staying just five minutes away from where Kalashnikov-wielding student Seifeddine Rezgui targeted western tourists on the beach in Sousse.

The family, who live in Mandir Close, Oswestry, had been enjoying lunch when they heard about the attack which was happening just along the seafront from where they were sat.

Mr Edwards said: "It was chaos. We were eating lunch and I had a text asking if we were OK.

"I looked up and two helicopters were overhead so we made our way quickly to the room and switched on the news.

"It really hit home as it happened literally just five minutes from where we were staying.

"Apparently there's an alley between the hotels and he walked down it seconds before he did what he did.

"We are deeply moved by what happened, we just wanted to get home as quickly as possible."

Mr Edwards, an electrician, said it is hard to explain how they are feeling.

"We were told he had walked around people on the beach listening to what languages were being used so he knew who to target," he said.

"We had talked about walking down to the harbour. Had we done that, it is easy to see that we could have been passing by when it happened.

"It's hard to explain how we felt. Scared, worried and desperate to let people know we were safe.

"The Tunisian people were devastated too.

"They were saying that it will be the end of their livelihoods because of this latest act of terrorism.

"The country relies on tourism and there won't be many happy to fly there any more."

He said he was delighted to touch down on British soil early yesterday.

"It was a relief and I just felt good to be back home, albeit three days early" he said.

"The police boarded a coach at the terminal when we arrived home and asked if anybody had witnessed the attack. The couple behind us broke into tears and were led away.

"I think then it really hit home how close we were to being directly caught up in this devastating incident."

Mrs Edwards, manager of Polka Dot Travel in Wrexham, added: "It was heartbreaking. The day after the attack there was a minutes silence and applause around the pool and it was so emotional. It was eerie.

"We just want to send our thoughts and best wishes to everyone who has lost a loved one.

"We wish speedy recoveries to all the injured and also our thoughts to Tunisians who are so worried about the future."

Mr Edwards added: "Something needs to be done desperately now to stamp out the likes of ISIS and other terrorists.

"I call on the government to do something urgently."

Tributes have also been flooding in for the victims. Up to 30 Britons lost their lives in the shooting including teenager Joel Richards, his uncle Adrian Evans and grandfather Patrick Evans, who were gunned down as they sunbathed at the start of their holiday in north Africa.

Joel was a 19-year-old football referee, while Mr Evans worked for Sandwell Council. His father, 78-year-old Patrick, lived in Wednesbury.

Joel's 16-year-old brother Owen is the only survivor from the family trip.

Medics have told how Joel comforted the injured despite having just witnessed the deaths of three members of his family on Friday.

He is believed to have been grazed by a bullet but avoided serious injury. On Saturday, he was joined by mother Suzanne who flew out to be with her son.

"We didn't hear anything though and the first we knew about it was when the reps started telling people to go inside the hotel. Apparently our hotel manager wanted us all to stay on the beach."