Lurgan girl escapes Tunisian massacre

Rebecca Macaulay who is with her boyfriend Jake Collins said the atmosphere at the resort is very bleak.

“I just feel awful for everyone involved and I think every else is feeling the same,” she told the ‘MAIL’.

Three Irish tourists were among 38 people murdered in Tunisia on Friday.

Rebecca and her boyfriend flew out to the north African tourist mecca on Wednesday unaware she would be in the midst of such a deadly trauma.

The couple were close to the shootings but oblivious to the massacre until family and friends contacted them via mobile to see if they were OK.

“We are okay. There is extra security on our hotel beach and at the front of the hotel and as of last night there are patrol boats in the sea,” she told the ‘MAIL’ on Monday.

“We have been advised not to leave the hotel but the staff have been amazing.

“A lot of people have left early since the incident and there is nobody new coming to the hotel so it is getting pretty empty. We didn’t hear or see anything and only found out when our families where making contact with us to see if we were okay

Kirsty and her boyfriend Jake who is from Newcastle, England have been told not to tell their location via social media.

“We are just feeling sad for everyone involved and a bit wary of what is going to happen.

“But trying to get on with it,” said Rebecca who added that they had not been to the beach since the tragedy happened last Friday.

Meanwhile tributes have been paid to the three Irish people killed in Friday’s terror attack.

Laurence (Larry) and Martina Hayes from County Westmeath and Lorna Carty, from County Meath were among the 38 dead.

On Sunday, Ireland’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan said he was not aware of concerns about any other Irish citizens.

It has emerged that Ms Carty, a mother-of-two, from Robinstown, worked at a medical centre in Navan. Ms Carty, who was in her 50s, was on holiday with her husband, Declan.

At least 15 of those who died were Britons. The British foreign minister, Tobias Ellwood, warned that the death toll of UK citizens was likely to rise because several people had been “seriously injured in this horrific attack”.

The Irish government is warning people travelling to Tunisia to “exercise extreme caution”.