Tunisia inquest: Video shows people fleeing beach terror attack in Sousse
An inquest is also shown the chilling 1.8-mile route the gunman took as he opened fire on tourists in June 2015.
Tuesday 17 January 2017 07:16, UK
A video showing holidaymakers running for their lives as the Tunisia beach attack began has been shown at an inquest.
Several people are seen sprinting along the beach, while others take a few moments to realise something is wrong.
One man dives under the front of a boat, crawling around the side for protection from the bullets before running into the sea.
The footage shows speedboats passing close to the shore as the terror unfolds.
Thirty Britons were among 38 people who died in Sousse when Seifeddine Rezgui Yacoubi went on the rampage on the beach and inside a five-star hotel in June 2015.
A video showing the gunman being dropped off by a white van moments before the attack and casually walking off with a hold-all was also shown.
Footage also shows him stalking through the lobby of the hotel.
The inquest, at London's Royal Courts of Justice, was filled with the relatives of the Britons who died.
Video played on the first day also showed the moment 72-year-old grandfather Bruce Wilkinson, from East Yorkshire, was shot.
A woman, believed to be a member of his family, left before it played out.
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![Billy and Lisa Graham, from Bankfoot near Perth in Scotland]()
Image: Billy and Lisa Graham, from Bankfoot near Perth in Scotland, were among the 30 Britons killed at the popular resort of Port el Kantaoui in Sousse, Tunisia -
![Claire Windass, 54, was among the 30 Britons killed]()
Image: Claire Windass, 54, was among those who died in the attack on 26 June, 2015 -
![Former Birmingham City footballer Denis Thwaites, 70, and his wife Elaine, 69, who lived in Blackpool]()
Image: Former Birmingham City footballer Denis Thwaites, 70, and his wife Elaine, 69, who lived in Blackpool -
![Scott Chalkley from Derby]()
Image: Scott Chalkley, from Derby -
![Jim and Ann McQuire, aged 66 and 63, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire]()
Image: Jim and Ann McQuire, aged 66 and 63, from Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire -
![Stuart Cullen, 52, from Lowestoft in Suffolk]()
Image: Stuart Cullen, 52, from Lowestoft in Suffolk -
![Attacj victim Sue Davey (second left) 43, from Staffordshire, with her children]()
Image: Victim Sue Davey (second left) 43, from Staffordshire, with her children -
![Bruce Wilkinson, a 72-year-old grandfather from Goole, East Yorkshire]()
Image: Bruce Wilkinson, a 72-year-old grandfather from Goole, East Yorkshire -
![Student Joel Richards (C), his uncle Adrian Evans (R) and his grandfather Charles 'Patrick' Evans]()
Image: Student Joel Richards (C), his uncle Adrian Evans (R) and his grandfather Charles 'Patrick' Evans -
![fashion blogger Carly Lovett, 24, from Gainsborough in Lincolnshire]()
Image: Fashion blogger Carly Lovett, 24, from Gainsborough in Lincolnshire -
![Lisa Burbidge, 66, a grandmother-of-four from Whickham, Gateshead]()
Image: Lisa Burbidge, 66, a grandmother-of-four from Whickham, Gateshead -
![Trudy Jones, a divorced single mother-of-four from Gwent, South Wales,]()
Image: Trudy Jones, a divorced single mother-of-four from Gwent, South Wales, -
![Ray and Angela Fisher from Leicester]()
Image: Ray and Angela Fisher, from Leicester -
![Chris Dyer, 32, an engineer who practised jiu-jitsu, from Watford]()
Image: Chris Dyer, 32, an engineer who practised jiu-jitsu, from Watford -
![Christopher Bell, 59, and his 54-year-old wife Sharon, from Leeds,]()
Image: Christopher Bell, 59, and his 54-year-old wife Sharon, from Leeds -
![Philip Heathcote]()
Image: Philip Heathcote -
![Retired printer John Stocker, 74, and his wife, 63-year-old Janet]()
Image: Retired printer John Stocker, 74, and his wife, 63-year-old Janet -
![Retired scientist David Thompson]()
Image: Retired scientist David Thompson -
![Plumber John Welch and his partner Eileen Swannock]()
Image: Plumber John Welch and his partner Eileen Swannock -
![Stephen Mellor, a 59-year-old engineer from East Cornwall]()
Image: Stephen Mellor, a 59-year-old engineer from East Cornwall -
![John Stollery, 58, a social worker from Nottinghamshire]()
Image: John Stollery, 58, a social worker from Nottinghamshire
The inquest also heard that failings by local police could have prolonged the attack, according to a report by a Tunisian judge.
It suggests some security forces had deliberately delayed their arrival at the scene, said Samantha Leek QC, counsel to the inquest.
Ms Leek said: "He (the judge) said the units that should have intervened in the events deliberately and unjustifiably slowed down to delay their arrival at the hotel.
"They had the ability to put an end to the attack before the police arrived but wasted a considerable amount of time in getting to the hotel."
The gunman's route - approximately 1.8 miles (2.9km) from the point he was dropped off to the point he was killed - was also digitally reconstructed.
It used photos of the victims to show where they died as the gunman prowled around the beach and hotel.
Ms Leek told the court that an armed guard on the beach had opened fire on Rezgui, but fell to the ground "seemingly unconscious" after the gunman threw a grenade.
A local speedboat driver, named as Al, picked up the guard's gun and confronted the attacker, but was unable to operate the weapon.
The inquest heard that Rezgui had entered the Imperial Marhaba Hotel "from the beach, carrying an automatic weapon and a number of explosives".
The hearing is scheduled to last seven weeks and will also look at security in place at the hotel by holiday company TUI and the travel advice issued by the UK Government.
Many families are said to have reservations about whether the Foreign Office properly warned people of the risks of travelling to Tunisia.
The attack came three months after 24 people died in an attack on the Bardo museum in the country's capital, Tunis.