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| Tunisia attack: British man has surgery after shielding fiancee from gunman | Tunisia attack: British man has surgery after shielding fiancee from gunman |
| (about 9 hours later) | |
| A British man has undergone life-saving surgery after he was shot three times while using his body to shield his fiancee during the terrorist attack in Tunisia on Friday. | A British man has undergone life-saving surgery after he was shot three times while using his body to shield his fiancee during the terrorist attack in Tunisia on Friday. |
| Saera Wilson, 26, from Pontypridd in south Wales, has described how her partner, Matthew James, 30, threw himself in front of her as the gunman opened fire in the resort of Sousse. | Saera Wilson, 26, from Pontypridd in south Wales, has described how her partner, Matthew James, 30, threw himself in front of her as the gunman opened fire in the resort of Sousse. |
| Related: Tunisia prime minister to shut mosques inciting terrorism as Isis claims attack | |
| The attack left at least 38 people dead and 36 injured including at least five British tourists and an Irishwoman. Philip Hammond, the British foreign secretary, said the British death toll was likely to rise. | The attack left at least 38 people dead and 36 injured including at least five British tourists and an Irishwoman. Philip Hammond, the British foreign secretary, said the British death toll was likely to rise. |
| James, a gas engineer from Trehafod, near Pontypridd, was hit in the shoulder, chest and hip as he put his body between Wilson and the gunman, and urged her to run for her life. | James, a gas engineer from Trehafod, near Pontypridd, was hit in the shoulder, chest and hip as he put his body between Wilson and the gunman, and urged her to run for her life. |
| “He took a bullet for me … I owe him my life because he threw himself in front of me when the shooting started,” she said. | “He took a bullet for me … I owe him my life because he threw himself in front of me when the shooting started,” she said. |
| “We were just on the sunbeds, messing around and having a nice time when we heard these sounds. The shooting had started and there was a man with a gun opening fire all around. It is hard to remember just exactly what was going on. I only saw the one man in dark clothing but people were being shot. | “We were just on the sunbeds, messing around and having a nice time when we heard these sounds. The shooting had started and there was a man with a gun opening fire all around. It is hard to remember just exactly what was going on. I only saw the one man in dark clothing but people were being shot. |
| “Matthew put himself in front of me, then he was hit. He moved and the man shot him again. Again he tried to move and he was shot again. | “Matthew put himself in front of me, then he was hit. He moved and the man shot him again. Again he tried to move and he was shot again. |
| “He was shouting and blood was pouring out all over. I was screaming and it was chaos as more shots were coming out. We were down on the floor next to the sunbeds to shelter but the shots just kept on coming. He just told me to go, to look after our kids and that he loved me. | “He was shouting and blood was pouring out all over. I was screaming and it was chaos as more shots were coming out. We were down on the floor next to the sunbeds to shelter but the shots just kept on coming. He just told me to go, to look after our kids and that he loved me. |
| “He was covered in blood from the shots, but he just told me to run away. I ran back, past bodies on the beach to reach our hotel. It was chaos – there was a body in the hotel pool and it was just full of blood.” | “He was covered in blood from the shots, but he just told me to run away. I ran back, past bodies on the beach to reach our hotel. It was chaos – there was a body in the hotel pool and it was just full of blood.” |
| After fleeing to the hotel, Wilson hid in a towel cupboard until it was safe to emerge. She then hunted for James on the beach for two hours until she learned he had been taken to hospital where he had life-saving surgery. | After fleeing to the hotel, Wilson hid in a towel cupboard until it was safe to emerge. She then hunted for James on the beach for two hours until she learned he had been taken to hospital where he had life-saving surgery. |
| “I was desperate to find out what had happened to Matthew but no one was around to help. It was so badly organised with no one to help and hardly anyone speaking English. I didn’t know if he was dead or alive. I was even looking under white sheets to see if it was his body.” | “I was desperate to find out what had happened to Matthew but no one was around to help. It was so badly organised with no one to help and hardly anyone speaking English. I didn’t know if he was dead or alive. I was even looking under white sheets to see if it was his body.” |
| James was being treated at a local hospital on Friday night. | James was being treated at a local hospital on Friday night. |
| “I’ve been to the hospital intensive care and I’m just staying here on a chair now,” Wilson said. “His pelvis was shattered by the bullet and he also had a heart attack. But he is alive. I’m just praying we can get out of here as soon as we can. | “I’ve been to the hospital intensive care and I’m just staying here on a chair now,” Wilson said. “His pelvis was shattered by the bullet and he also had a heart attack. But he is alive. I’m just praying we can get out of here as soon as we can. |
| “There are bodies everywhere, some covered in blankets and some not. You can’t imagine how bad it is. I know just how lucky we are to be alive because I can see all the bodies of the people who are not.” | “There are bodies everywhere, some covered in blankets and some not. You can’t imagine how bad it is. I know just how lucky we are to be alive because I can see all the bodies of the people who are not.” |
| The couple, who are planning to marry in 2017, had left their two children at home with their family when they set off to Sousse on 21 June for a two-week holiday. | The couple, who are planning to marry in 2017, had left their two children at home with their family when they set off to Sousse on 21 June for a two-week holiday. |