A Tenby woman has spoken this week of her lucky escape after being trapped inside the Sari Club following last Saturday's terrorist bomb blast on Bali.

Over 180 people were killed when two car bombs ripped through the bar at the Kuta Beach resort on the Indonesian island in the worst terrorist atrocity since 9/11.

Twenty-nine-year-old Rachel Griffiths, of Ilford, Broadwell Hayes, was among the revellers in the tourist packed bar that night, and had to scramble through the burning remains of the club to escape.

She and her two friends, Nicola Trott, also 29, of Gelli in the Rhondda and Nicola's 25-year-old boyfriend Jonathan Hartery, of Penarth, had arrived on the island just two-and-a-half hours earlier and were enjoying their first drinks in the bar when it was ripped apart by the explosion.

"The three of us were travelling on a six-and-a-half month 'world tour' focusing mainly on Australia and South East Asia," Rachel, the daughter of former mayor of Tenby, Denzil Griffiths, told the Observer this week,

"We left the UK on October 1, and had spent time in Singapore and the Timor Islands before flying into Bali that day.

"Nicola had her birthday earlier in the week but we'd not been able to celebrate because we'd been doing the sights, so we decided to go out that night."

Rachel, explained that the trio had gone to Paddy's Bar first but, as it had been 'a bit quiet', they had crossed the road to the Sari Club.

"There were around 250 to 300 people in there and we were sitting towards the back of the club near the cocktail bar when we heard an explosion," she continued. "It was just like a rocket going off, but with a huge impact, then seconds later we were plunged into darkness."

The three friends found themselves trapped in a confined pocket caused by the roof's collapse.

"I grabbed Nicola, trying to hold the roof off her, and called to Jon, who had been knocked off his stool and was lying on the floor," Rachel continued. "The roof was covered in flames, they were too strong for us to get out through the front of the club and for one moment I thought we weren't to make it.

"Jon was great, he started saying 'dig' so we dug our way through the thatch and managed to climb out of the back of the club, then we worked our way across the roof tops until someone came along with a ladder for us to get back down onto the ground.

"In one respect we were lucky it was a thatched roof, because we'd never have got out if it had been concrete, but the fire was the biggest problem"

"It was a miracle we got out. I'm sure we wouldn't have if it hadn't been for Jon and his quick thinking.

"It's lucky we were all together in one place when the bomb went off."

Rachel who was still obviously shaken by her ordeal, sustained first to second degree burns on her shoulder escaping the bar.

"It was absolutely awful outside on the streets," she said. "People were screaming and there was glass everywhere, "

Rachel and her friends were treated for their injuries at a military hospital at Denpasar some 20k away from Kuta Beach because the local hospitals were already full of victims from the blast.

"The Balinese people were terrific and the local hospitals tried to do their utmost, but they were just not prepared for something on this scale," Rachel added.

After treatment to their injuries, the three friends collected their belongings and headed to the airport, where they had a 24 hour wait for a 'plane out.

"We just wanted to get off the island, so we camped out at the airport until we could get a flight to the UK," said Rachel.

The trio arrived back at Heathrow on Monday night, with Rachel being met by her father and her brother Darren. She was later given further treatment for her injuries at Morriston Hospital.

"Since we've been finding more out about what happened, I think the explosion we heard was the one at the back of Paddy's Bar," Rachel continued. "The road was only about as wide as Upper Frog Street and the car bomb outside the Sari Club went off just split seconds later."

Rachel said that she had been waiting to go to Australia for 14 years and had been saving for the trip for the last two.

"Events always meant that I was unable to go," she said. "My sister, Sharon and my Mum, Joan were both taken ill and passed away, and my Dad was burned in a house fire. On top of that I had work commitments.

"Then, this time last year I decided to go for it and have been planning it ever since. I just don't feel safe anywhere anymore now though."

Her father, Denzil, said that the family knew that Rachel had been heading to Bali as she had 'phoned her brother Shaun earlier in the day to say the three friends were flying to the island from Singapore, but they did not know about the horrific events on the island until Rachel rang to say she was safe.

"We're a close family and we'd been planning to take Rachel's nephew, Nicholas, out to Australia so we could all share Christmas together," Denzil explained . "Rachel certainly had her mother and her sister looking down on her on this occasion.

"Just before Rachel went on holiday, we attended a service in St. Julians Church conducted by the Rector, Canon David Jenkins," Denzil continued. "The Rector knew that Rachel was going off on this trip, and said a special prayer for her. I'd like to think that that worked too."

"I feel so fortunate that we managed to get out, and we've got Jon to thank for it," said Rachel. "But I'm devastated for all those others who weren't so lucky."

ALSO SAFE

Another young woman with strong local connections whohad a lucky escape was 25-year-old Laura Robinson, the eldest granddaughter of retired policeman, George Mortimer and his wife Brenda, of Larkspur Close, Templeton.

She had stopped off at the Indonesian island during a tour of Australia.

Fortunately, Laura, who lives in Sully, Glamorgan left the islands two days before the bombs went off and the night before she left she had been at one of the clubs in Kuta where Saturday's blasts were centred.

"She rang us on Sunday to let us know she was safe," Mr. Mortimer told the Observer.

"We were very worried as we knew she was on the island," he said.

"Seeing the news reports on television of the damage just went through us," he continued.

"She is so lucky and we are so lucky she is alright," he added.

Laura, who is spending several months travelling with a group of friends, has now returned to Australia to continue her trip.