Inquest into hostel blaze deaths

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An inquest into the deaths of six British backpackers killed in a fire at an Australian hostel is set to start.

They were among 15 who died in June 2000 at the Palace Backpackers' Hostel, Childers - 180 miles north of Brisbane.

The inquest at Flax Bourton Coroner's Court, near Bristol, is expected to last up to two days. It follows an inquest in Australia last year.

Fruit picker Robert Long was jailed in March 2002 and is serving a life sentence for murder and arson.

But investigators also found a series of safety breaches at the 100-year-old timber building that made it harder for residents to flee.

The UK inquest will be heard by the Deputy Coroner for Avon, Brian Whitehouse.

No Australian witnesses will be giving evidence in person at the hearing.

An Australian inquest held last year heard that escape exits were blocked, windows were barred or painted shut and the main fire alarm was out of order.

The hostel was also well over its occupancy limit, with 87 people staying there instead of the legal maximum of 53.

Despite this, the Queensland coroner ruled that the managers of the hostel, John Dobe and Christian Atkinson, were not so negligent that they should face manslaughter charges.

And neither was questioned after successfully claiming that any evidence they did give might incriminate them.

'Let down'

Natalie Morris, 28, from Cefn Coed, south Wales, was one of those killed.

Her father Ken said he felt let down by the Australian investigation, adding: "One of the things that we wanted out of this was justice for our youngsters."

The hostel was destroyed in the arson attack in 2000

As well as Ms Morris, the inquest will also examine the deaths of Gary Sutton, 24, from Bath, Sarah Williams, 23, from Aberfan, south Wales, Michael Lewis, 25, from Bristol, Adam Rowland, 19, from St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex, and Claire Webb, 24, from Ascot, Berkshire.

Irish national Julie O Keefe, 24, was also killed, along with four Australian, two Dutch, one Japanese and one South Korean backpacker.

Every year, thousands of tourists go to Childers to take up short-term work on fruit farms and sugar plantations to fund their travels.