Department checking Irish people on Bali

A number of Irish people believed to be in Bali remain "possibly missing", a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs has confirmed.

An official from the Irish Embassy in Singapore has travelled to the scene of Saturday's bomb blast and is "trying to trace people reported to be possibly in the area", he said.

"Whenever there's an event like this you get communications from families concerned that their loved ones might be in the vicinity."

Asked how many people may be missing, he replied "very few".

Meanwhile, the father of one of the two Irish people injured in the blast has spoken of his relief that his daughter is alive.

Mr John Holohan, speaking from the family home in Abbey, Loughrea, Co Galway, said his daughter, Niamh (24), remained in intensive care in hospital in Singapore.

"She is seriously ill," he said. "She has broken limbs and a lot of burns. When it's intensive care it is serious, but we are all very relieved, yes."

Niamh's older brother, Seán (30), was due to arrive in Singapore last night, he said, while her mother Ms Frances Holohan and twin brother Brian were due to fly out later today.

Ms Holohan, an accountant working in Dublin, was on a two-week holiday on the Indonesian island with friends and due home this morning.

"We first heard about the bomb on Saturday night when a friend phoned to see had we heard about the explosion," said Mr Holohan. "So we switched on the television and saw it there.

"It wasn't till 7 a.m. on Sunday that we got a call from one of her friends who was out with her, who said she had been searching the hospitals and had found Niamh. So, yes, we went through the night not knowing. Some of us are more optimistic, but it was a great relief when we got the news."

The father of another Irishwoman also on the island at the time of the blast said his daughter was unhurt. Ms Jennifer Ness (26), from Derry, phoned home at about 6.30 a.m. on Sunday to say she was safe.

Her father, Mr Christopher Ness, said she was travelling with two friends on a six-month backpacking trip.

"She left four months ago and was due back in time for Christmas.

"We heard at midnight on Saturday about the blast. We knew she was in Bali but we didn't know precisely where. We were trying to contact the numbers that were on Ceefax but it wasn't until she called at 6.30 that we knew she was safe, so we were up the walls for that time. We were very relieved.

"Parents are up against it. You don't want to say no when they want to go on these trips, but then you're worrying. But then, tomorrow it could be London."

Ms Phil Seoige, mother of TV3 news presenter, Ms Gráinne Seoige, said her daughter was anxious to get home from Bali. She has been on the island for the past fortnight, on her honeymoon. She married Mr Stephen Cullinan last month.

"We have heard from her," she said, adding that Gráinne called home "every day".

"She was about 5 km from where the blast happened. She's just anxious to get home at this stage. We're all dying to see her."