DAHAB, Egypt (28 Apr 2006) -- TWO Ipswich divers today told how they visited an Egyptian restaurant just days before it was devastated by a massive bomb blast. Theresa Webb and Ollie Page were part of a group of nine people from Ipswich who visited the resort town of Dahab on a day-trip a week before Monday's bombings, which killed at least 23 people. The narrow escape came less than a year after the keen scuba divers missed an even more devastating triple bomb attack on the nearby resort of Sharm El Sheikh by just a day, when they arrived for a dive trip the day after that attack last July. Now back in Ipswich, Mrs Webb, who runs Galaxsea Divers in Felixstowe Road with her husband Steve, said: "After the bombs at Dahab one of my customers who went out there with us said one of the restaurants that was bombed was actually one we ate in. "You feel really lucky because at the end of the day you could have been there on that particular day. "When you see it on TV you think 'wow, it could have been me'." Mr Page, 19, added: "It's a bit strange to see on the news the restaurant we were in and the places in town we went." The Ipswich group travelled from Sharm El Sheikh to Dahab for a day trip to dive in the clear Egyptian waters. It was the group's first trip to Dahab and they had been drawn there because of its reputation as a good dive location. Galaxsea Divers takes Ipswich divers on four trips a year to Egypt and Mrs Webb said few had been deterred by the bombings. The 29-year-old said: "I had someone come in on Wednesday and book for a trip that is going out in June. | | An injured foreign tourist is attended to after the explosions at the Egyptian Sinai resort of Dahab April 24, 2006. Three explosions shook the Egyptian Sinai resort of Dahab on Monday, killing 30 people and wounding more than 100, rescue and security officials said. REUTERS/Aleksander Rabij "You can get bombed on the London Underground, you've just got to accept it. "After the Sharm El Sheikh bombings we gave all of our customers the option of not going and every single one of them chose to go and we had a fantastic trip. The Egyptians were so happy that we were there. "The security was increased a lot when we were out there last year but when we were out there this time it had probably lapsed a bit." Mr Page, a 19-year-old trainee dive master from Salisbury Road, added: "I'd go back. You can't be scared. You've just go to carry on. It hasn't put me off at all." SOURCE - Evening Star |
