Australian tourists vow to return to Bali

Amid tears and hugs, many Australians returning home from the Indonesian resort island of Bali on Monday said they had weighed the risks before taking their holidays and would not hesitate to go back.

Despite a government travel warning that has been in place since the Oct. 12, 2002 Bali nightclub bombings which killed 202 people, including 88 Australians, tourists have been steadily returning to the island, drawn by its renowned surf and tranquil, white sand beaches.

But Bali's calm was shattered once again on Saturday night as suicide bombers sparked three near-simultaneous blasts, killing 26 people and injuring more than 100, many of them foreigners.

Australian officials have confirmed the deaths of a 16-year-old boy and a 48-year-old woman, and Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said the government believes another couple may have also died in the blasts.

About 17 Australians have been injured in the attacks, including seven who were "very seriously injured," Downer said. Despite the devastation, many Australians who returned on one of several flights that landed at Sydney's international airport early Monday said they would not hesitate to return to Bali, AP reports.

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