Checks continue for NZers in Bali

Two staff from the New Zealand embassy in Jakarta and a New Zealand police officer will today continue checking morgues and hospitals for New Zealand casualties from the explosions which rocked Bali on Saturday night.

The toll from the three blasts last night stood at 26 dead and more than 120 injured, in the Jimbaran and Kuta areas.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (Mfat) last night confirmed that a New Zealand man was injured, but not seriously, in one of the explosions.

"The man's injuries were not serious, and he was not admitted to hospital," Mfat spokesman Brad Tattersfield said. "We have no word of any other New Zealand casualties."

Mr Tattersfield gave no details of the man's identity, but said the man had contacted his family to tell them he was alright.

Mfat had so far received enquiries about 492 people, of whom 311 have been confirmed alive and well, Mr Tattersfield said.

The Ministry also last night advised New Zealanders in Bali to exercise extreme caution, and to contact family and friends in New Zealand to confirm they were safe.

New Zealanders concerned about family and friends in Kuta and Jimbaran should try to contact them directly in the first instance, Mr Tattersfield said. They can also call the special Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade number: 0800 432 111 (from overseas +64 4 439 8401).

Up to 1500 New Zealanders could have been in Bali when the bombs went off, caretaker Foreign Affairs Minister Phil Goff said yesterday. Based on travel figures, up to 2000 New Zealanders went to Indonesia each month, most of them to Bali, he said.

The blasts struck at the peak of the tourist season, almost three years after the 2002 Kuta nightclub bombings, which killed 202 people including three New Zealanders.

No one had claimed responsibility for Saturday night's attacks, but it bore the hallmarks of the group responsible for the 2002 Bali bombings, Jemaah Islamiah, Mr Goff said.

"Particularly at this time, the September-early October period is the time in which these attacks have tended to have been predominant."

Mr Goff said he had extended his sympathies to the Indonesian Foreign Minister and offered New Zealand's assistance.

Asked whether New Zealanders were getting desensitised to terror attacks and the Ministry's warnings about Bali, Mr Goff said all the Government could do was make the information available.

"The ... information has been that there are ongoing terrorist plans for attacks there. But it is simply what the name suggests: an advisory. We don't condemn people for going there.

"We feel obliged to pass on the best information we have and then we leave it up to New Zealanders to make a decision for themselves about the level of risk they're prepared to take."

- NZPA