On October 12, 2002, the island paradise of Bali, Indonesia, was shattered by a terrorist attack on two of Kuta Beach’s busiest nightclubs. Both the local and international tourists scrambled to escape, to rescue the injured and to comfort the dying.
Australian and Indonesian authorities not only mobilised to evacuate survivors and identify victims, but to hunt down those responsible. Amidst the chaos, heroes arose to defy the odds from the most unlikely places and cultures united in the search for healing, justice and meaning.
The attack began when a suicide bomber detonated a bomb inside the busy Paddy’s Pub nightclub during one of the busiest tourist periods of the year. The ensuing chaos saw the many injured and uninjured patrons flood out into the streets.
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Twenty seconds later, a second suicide bomber detonated a car bomb outside the Sari Club, an open-air bar opposite Paddy’s Pub. The attack left hundreds dead, while many survivors were left with horrific burns and other injuries.
Now ITV is set to launch a four-part drama series developed in consultation with those directly impacted by the tragedy. Premiering on streaming platform ITVX on March 16, Bali 2002 will explore how everyday heroes from Bali, Australia and around the world, defied the odds to bring order from chaos and hope from despair during the 2002 Bali bombings.
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How many people died in the Bali 2002 terrorist attack?
The victims of the 2002 Bali bombing mainly comprised tourists in their 20s and 30s who were in or near the bars that were hit, but many Balinese Indonesians in the area were also caught up in the chaos. In total, 202 people from at least 22 countries were killed in the attack.
This included 88 Australian victims, 38 Indonesians, and 23 Britons. Other victims came from countries around North and South America including Brazil, Canada and Ecuador, European countries including France, Denmark and Portugal, and Asian countries including Japan and South Korea.
The nationality of three victims could not be confirmed. 150 of the victims were aged between 21 and 40, while 20 were younger than 21 and 28 were older than 40. A further 209 people were injured in the attacks.
A third, smaller bomb was also detonated outside the US consulate in the Bali capital Denpasar, which caused minor injuries to one person. A permanent memorial was erected on the former site of Paddy’s Pub, which bears the names and nationalities of the victims.
The Bali bombings and their aftermath will be dramatised in the new four-part series, Bali 2002, streaming exclusively on ITVX from March 16.
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