Irishwoman helps out in Bali

AN Irishwoman, who believes fate helped her escape the bomb attack in Bali last week is staying on the island to help people during the remainder of her holiday.

Olive Hickey, 43, from Killarney, Co Kerry, is a regular visitor to Bali where she has made many friends over the years.

While thousands of others are fleeing the island she is spending the next month working voluntarily in the hospital at Kuti which is trying desperately to care for victims of the bombings.

“Everything is chaotic here and some of the bodies still can’t be identified. Everyone is still shattered over this dreadful tragedy,” she said yesterday.

Olive was staying in a hotel about 500 metres from the bombings in which almost 200 people died last Saturday night. A short time before the bombings she considered going with friends to a nightclub on the street where the bombs had been planted.

“Just before 11pm, someone suggested we go to the Apache reggae club but, a week before, one of my friends had been assaulted there and I wasn’t keen to go there for that reason. Luckily enough, my reluctance also rubbed off on some of my friends and we decided not to go,” she said.

The bombs went off 15 minutes later.

“The first thing I heard sounded like thunder I got up and walked to the door and then there was a second explosion which I knew was a bomb.”

Olive’s father, Owen Hickey, yesterday said she just happened to be in the right place at the right time.

“We would like to see her home as quickly as possible but we wouldn’t like to deprive her of the opportunity to do something good,” he added.