Bali bombings anniversary: Timeline of how the attacks unfolded

Bars were crowded with people keen to have a good time - there were end of season footy trips, girls trips, family trips, honeymooners and one-in-a-lifetime holidaymakers.

Paddy's Bar and the Sari Club were in the heart of the tourist district of Kuta, and up until 11.07pm that night the music blared, cocktails and beer bottles were being clinked and the crowds were dancing.

At 11.08pm everything changed.

A suicide bomber detonated an improvised explosive device (IED) on the ground floor of Paddy's Bar, right near the DJ box. The building, which was full of holidaymakers, became engulfed in fire and survivors rushed outside.

Just 15 seconds later, a van laden with 1.2 tonnes of explosives was detonated outside the Sari Club. It was only 40 metres up the road from Paddy's.

READ MORE

There were around 350 people inside the Sari Club. The blast caused extensive damage and a fireball, which was accelerated by the club's thatched roofing.

Then, 40 seconds later, there was a third explosion. This bomb was detonated 11 kilometres away, near the United States consulate in Renon (Denpasar).

The explosions killed 202 people from 22 countries, including 88 Australians. The youngest Australian to die was just 13 years old.

A further 209 were left wounded and at least 66 of those people were flown to Darwin for treatment.

The attacks represent the single largest loss of Australian life due to an act of terror.

By February 13, 2003, authorities had identified 199 of the 202 victims. The final three who were killed remain unidentified.

At the peak of the Bali bombing investigation and disaster victim identification (DVI) process, there were 120 Australian personnel based in Bali.

A further 400 Australian Federal Police staff (AFP) worked from Australia to support the operation, named Operation Alliance.

READ MORE

Australia provided law enforcement assistance in the area of investigations, crime scene analysis, post blast analysis, intelligence, DVI and technical support.

More than 500 fingerprint samples and 174 DNA swabs were collected, these related primarily to the DVI process.

Almost 500 witness statements were taken from Australia, with the AFP receiving a further 244 statements from around the world.

There were 46 crime scenes, with more than 3000 exhibits/samples collected.

READ MORE

This included 1042 explosive residue samples collected from crime scenes, and 206 collected from victims.

More than 7300 Australians were interviewed following their return from Bali. That provided physical and photographic evidence for investigators.

The attacks were carried out by terrorist group, Jemaah Islamiyah, which is based in Indonesia and has links to al-Qaeda.

More than 30 people were arrested in connection with the Bali attacks. Three men linked to Jemaah Islamiyah were executed for their part in the bombings.

After 10 years on the run, bomb maker Umar Patek was convicted in 2012 and sentenced to 20 years in prison in Indonesia.

Earlier this year he was declared eligible for early release after a series of remissions for good behaviour.

The Indonesian militant expressed regret for his role in the deadly bombings, but his impending early release sparked anger from Australians.

The Bali bombings were a huge wakeup call for Australians, who realised the terrorism they saw around the world was now on their doorstep, then Minister for Immigration Amanda Vanstone said.

She told the National Museum of Australia in 2017 that it was a defining moment in the country's history.

"It had a very dramatic effect on how we looked upon each other, and clearly, how Australians who were non-Muslims looked at Muslims, through no fault of the Muslim community in Australia and no fault of the non-Muslim community," she said.

In the days after the attacks, the then Prime Minister John Howard said Australia had been deeply affected but its spirit had not been broken.