Memorial dedicated to victims of Australian hostel fire

Mourners from six countries gathered today in a small, rural Australian town to dedicate a memorial for 15 backpackers who perished in a hostel fire there two years ago.

One woman from Ireland, seven backpackers from Britain, two from the Netherlands, three Australians and one person each from South Korea and Japan died when flames tore through the Palace Backpackers Hostel in Childers, a farming community in the north-east state of Queensland, on June 23, 2000.