Woman who survived Tunisia beach attack remembered playing dead in order to survive

A survivor of the 2015 Tunisia beach attack described how she lay face down in the sand playing dead as the gunman passed to avoid being shot.

Thirty UK citizens were among 38 people gunned down and killed with 39 others suffering injuries in a terror attack on 26 June, 2015 at the tourist resort of Port El Kantaoui in Sousse.

The so-called Islamic State group (IS) claimed it was behind the attack by 22-year-old Tunisian electrical engineering student, Seifeddine Rezgui.

The gunman, who had links to Islamic State extremists, opened fire on the beach in Sousse, outside two hotels.

He had hidden a gun under a beach umbrella and threw grenades, forcing unsuspecting holidaymakers to run for their lives on the sand.

The attacks claimed the life on 30 UK residents

Angela Evans, from King's Lynn in Norfolk, spoke to the BBC later that month about how she and her friend tried to make the gunman believe they were already dead to avoid being targeted.

She told the outlet: "We both looked up, stood up, there was this man there in black, several rows of sun loungers away just stood there with his huge gun moving round all the people shooting them, just killing, murdering them.

She continued her terrifying account: "You can't run, you're an open target running, he was shooting anyone on their feet as well as people on sun loungers, he was just killing them.

"So we both at the same time, [said] play dead, we just fell to the ground, faces in the sand.

"The shooting continued. He just kept on shooting, it was coming nearer and nearer. Then his feet were at the side of me.

"You don't move, because you're next. You just pray to God.

But Angela's ordeal wasn't over yet: "Then there was this noise, this heavy clicking noise, into the sand fell part of the gun, a magazine... You still have to pretend you're dead.

"And then click again. He put more bullets in.

"And then there was a noise. I don't know what noise, just a noise. I could feel him move and the shooting started again."

She recalls hearing the gunman next leave the beach and move towards a nearby hotel and, when Angela and her friend thought it was safe, they ran to another hotel.

She said staff there hid her and her friend in an office until it was over and Rezgui was shot dead by police.

Tour operator, TUI, reached a settlement with families of holidaymakers caught up in the terror attack in 2022.

The claimants alleged that the company was responsible for safety and security breaches at the resort.

TUI denied this but, ahead of a trial, the law firm representing more than 80 claimants released a joint statement stating they had reached a settlement 'without admission of liability or fault', bringing the legal action to an end.