Australia confirms 33 killed in Bali, 140 missing
( 2002-10-16 09:34 ) (7 )

An Indonesian woman places a candle in front of the Australian embassy in Jakarta October 14, 2002 after a bomb blast on the resort island of Bali. [Reuters]

Thirty-three Australians were confirmed dead on Wednesday by Australian authorities following the weekend's deadly bomb blasts in Bali while another 140 were still missing.

An estimated 181 people were killed and more than 300 injured on Saturday when explosions ripped through nightclubs packed with foreign tourists in Kuta Beach on the Indonesian resort island.

Many of the badly burned and dismembered bodies have been hard to identify with officials tentatively naming the deceased from credit cards or documents found on bodies and some relatives recognizing loved ones by jewelry.

"Thirty Australians have now been reported to us as dead by the Indonesian authorities," a spokeswoman from Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade told Reuters.

A further three Australians have died from serious injuries suffered in the bombing, according to hospital officials.

One died during an evacuation flight back to Australia and two others died after reaching intensive care units in hospitals in Darwin and Perth.

The DFAT spokeswoman said 113 Australians were seriously injured in the bombing and all of these had now been flown home, with no Australians remaining in hospitals in Bali.