Tunisia attack: 'Strong reason to believe' Irish couple dead in beach shooting

Floral tributes have been left at the scene of the attack on a beach in the Tunisian resort Sousse

There is strong reason to believe that two more Irish people have died in an attack on a Tunisian beach resort, the Irish government has said.

One Irish woman has already been confirmed as being among at least 38 people killed in the gun attack.

She has been named locally as Lorna Carty, from Robinstown in County Meath.

Islamic State extremists have claimed responsibility for the attack in Sousse on Friday, in which at least 15 Britons are confirmed to have died.

Interpol and the Irish department of foreign affairs have contacted police in County Westmeath regarding a couple, believed to be in their 50s and from the Athlone area, who are thought to have died.

Government officials have said they are working with the family as part of a formal identification process.

Lorna Carty was on holiday with her husband Declan when she was killed in the attack

The British foreign minister Tobias Ellwood warned that the death toll of UK citizens was likely to rise because several people had been "seriously injured in this horrific attack".

The Tunisian prime minister Habib Essid has said the majority of those killed were British.

Shooting

Ms Carty, who was in her 50s, was on holiday with her husband Declan.

He was uninjured but is said to be "absolutely distraught".

Irish politician Ray Butler said he had spoken to Ms Carty's husband.

"It was one of the hardest phone calls I've ever made and it's so sad to hear what happened," Mr Butler told Irish state broadcaster RTÉ.

Tourists have been returning to the scene of Friday's attack in which least 38 people were killed

The attack started at about noon on Friday when the gunman started shooting on a beach close to two tourist hotels.

The gunman was then shot dead by police. He was named later as Seifeddine Rezgui.

Chaos

Tunisia is a popular destination for Irish tourists.

Some holidaymakers who returned to the Republic of Ireland on Friday night said their break had "turned into hell".

British and Irish holidaymakers have been leaving the Tunisian resort

Anthony and Betty Tunstead, from Dublin, were part of a group of four that cut their holiday short.

Ms Tunstead told RTÉ there was screaming and chaos as the shooting started.

"We went into one room and kept there for a while. I came back out and here's a boyo in the lobby with a machine gun," she said.

"We didn't make eye contact because he was looking to see where he was jumping off the parapet. He didn't see me."

Ms Tunstead said had it been a different day they might not have escaped alive.

Marian King, from Lucan in County Dublin, told RTÉ she and her family had managed to get into a hotel room when the shooting began.

"People were running down the corridors screaming to be let into bedrooms," she said.

The Irish government is warning people travelling to Tunisia to "exercise extreme caution".