Reg. Charity No.1117509
The Matthew Fulham Foundation
“We feel abandoned, isolated and ignored”
Families of victims of the Sharm El Sheikh bombings condemn
Government & Insurance Industry
Victims’ families told to sue suicide bombers for compensation
London, 19th December 2005. Speaking at the inquest into the deaths of 11 British nationals killed in the terrorist attack in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, on 23rd July, a representative of the victims’ families stated:
“The families of those killed in the Sharm El Sheikh bombings on 23rd July 2005 wish to state that the way they have been treated by the British Government can be summed up in one word: atrocious.
“Every single family feels abandoned, isolated and ignored.
“There have been strong criticisms in the media by victims of the London bombings that their compensation payments were paltry and slow to arrive. The British victims of the Egyptian bombings and their families have received absolutely nothing, even though they were insured. The only source of financial support and assistance for some families has been local charities and generous employers – money, in some cases, required to pay for funeral costs.
“The British Government and the insurance industry have failed to take any responsibility towards those who were killed or injured.
“The British Government has told victims they should seek compensation from the perpetrators of the suicide bomb attacks; the insurance industry washes its hands of its responsibility and hides behind its exclusion clauses.
“Platitudes do not help the grieving process but skilled and professional help, timely delivered, does: systems put into place for victims of the Egyptian bombings were not accessible to the families until 12 weeks after the bombings. It seems that none of the criticisms levelled at the British Government after the Tsunami have been learnt – we too are suffering from ineffective management and poor communication.
“Before the next tragedy, we would urge the Government to do the following, where appropriate working with the insurance and industries:
1. Establish a fund to assist victims and their families with costs incurred immediately after an incident (funeral costs, travel to distant hospitals, etc)
2. Provide on-
3. Consider introducing a £1 levy on every foreign trip undertaken by British nationals to establish funds (on average 65 million trips are undertaken each year)
4. Undertake an immediate review of all emergency communications processes put into
effect after an incident – emergency telephone response team, e-
5. Work with FCO and travel industry to train staff likely to be first on the scene of an incident
6. Work with the emergency services and travel industry to develop standard procedure for dealing with travel arrangements for victims and their families.”
Victims Families Press Release
The Victims Families Have Their Say
