Diplomats seeking to repatriate remains of three Irish victims in Tunisia

Diplomats are seeking to repatriate the remains of the three Irish victims of the terrorist attack in Tunisia as soon as possible.

A Department of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman said the process of formal identification of the deceased is continuing in Tunis.

“Given the scale of the tragedy, it is expected that it may yet take a period of time before it is fully completed,” the spokeswoman said.

Laurence and Martina Hayes, a couple in their 50s from Athlone, and Lorna Carty, a nurse from Co Meath, were killed when Tunisian student Saif Rezgui opened fire on the beach in the Sousse region last Friday before he was shot dead by police.

The Garda has been assisting with the formal identification process of the deceased Irish.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has advised tourists not to travel to certain areas of the North African country and to exercise caution following the terrorist attack in which 39 people were killed, including the three Irish victims.

At least 18 British nationals were killed in the attack, with the number expected to rise to about 30 according to a spokesman for British prime minister David Cameron.

The Irish Department of Foreign Affairs has advised visitors to exercise ‘extreme caution’ if travelling to Tunisia. It has also advised caution if visiting Saudi Arabia, Morocco and Iran.

The department has also issued more serious warnings against travel to destinations including Libya, Yemen and Iraq. It said that it bases its travel advice on information from Irish embassies and consulates abroad, along with advice issued by other countries including EU member states.

It has also warned that help from the department is limited as there is no Irish embassy in Tunisia, but those seeking help can contact the Irish Embassy in Madrid or the Honorary Consul in Tunisia.

The Irish Travel Agents Association said 20 per cent of Tunisia's economy is funded by tourism, with chief exective Pat Dawson saying that "we can't let one man shut down the country; we have to support people".

Travel agents Sunway believe that although some may be reluctant to travel to the region in the wake of the tragedy, many of their clients will want to “support Tunisia and its people, and they know that tourism is its number one source of income.”

The British Foreign Office says it updates travel advice on the gov.uk website as situations develop. "Our travel advice is based on objective assessments of the risks to British nationals and these are done by looking at expert sources of information available to the government including intelligence, local knowledge from embassies abroad, experience of overseas staff," the Foreign Office said. "We keep our travel advice under constant review".

It warned against travel to certain parts of Tunisia, saying that “there is considered to be a heightened threat of terrorist attack globally against UK interests and British nationals, from groups or individuals motivated by the conflict in Iraq and Syria”.