THE family of a 23-year-old woman who died four years ago in a bomb blast in Turkey has been awarded more than £1m in compensation by the Turkish authorities, it was reported tonight.

Helyn Bennett, from Spennymoor, County Durham, was among five people killed when an explosion ripped through a minibus packed with tourists in the popular resort of Kusadasi in July 2005.

Her fiance Stephen Stables, 23, her 16-year-old brother Adam Megoran, aunt Toni Punshon, 14-year-old cousin Sam Punshon, and Ms Punshon's partner Michael Aspinall were also seriously injured in the blast.

Helyn's mother and stepfather only escaped the carnage because they had split from the rest of the family to take a boat trip to Greece.

The force of the blast was such that the vehicles roof was blown 20 to 30 yards into the grounds of a neighbouring hotel.

Tonight, Channel 4 News said the family had received more than £1m in compensation from the Turkish authorities in a ground breaking move.

Miss Bennett's mother, Sharon Holden, has fought a long campaign for compensation from the Turkish authorities and, also, to get the rules changed so British victims of terror attacks abroad can access the compensation scheme available to terror victims at home.

Now she said she feels abandoned by the British compensation system and is determined to get it changed.

"We've had to fight for everything," Mrs Holden said.