FORENSICS | The Bali Bombings Explosions

Saturday, October 12th, 2002. A warm night in Bali’s bustling Kuta Beach. Bars packed with tourists, music pumping. Then - devastation. Two massive explosions rip through popular Paddy’s Bar and the Sari Club across the road. 

202 lives were lost, 88 of them Australians. 

In the wreckage, tiny clues told a story. Copper wires, fragments of tartan fabric, the surprising absence of a crater.

Australian Federal Police Forensic chemist David Royds arrived at the scene just 48 hours later. Sifting through the devastation, he began working out what had happened and how it had happened —thereby uncovering essential information that would eventually lead to the arrest of the bombers.

In this episode, he takes host Liz Porter inside the science of that investigation and reveals the lessons learned from it. 

This episode contains descriptions of a mass casualty event. If you or anyone you know needs assistance, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14. 

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