AT least six Britons were last night feared to have been among the 187 people who were killed when two bomb blasts ripped through a crowded tourist resort on the paradise island of Bali.

The British ambassador to Jakarta, Richard Gozney, said that the number of British dead could rise much further as there were still 25 Britons unaccounted for following the explosions in the beach resort of Kuta.

As an international anti-terrorism operation got under way, he said: "On the British side, one or two are confirmed dead but we are pretty sure there are five or six.

"Much more more worrying is that there are still about 25 people not accounted for, some of whom who were seen in the bars and area nearby shortly beforehand.

"Others may have gone on and done something quite different and not reported back to their hotels for other reasons.

"But we are afraid that that figure of five or six is going to rise quite considerably."

The Foreign Office in London confirmed that a 30-year-old man from Cornwall died in the carnage in Kuta, which also left at least 300 people wounded.

A third bomb went off near the US consulate in Bali's capital Denpasar. No one was reported injured in that blast.

Experts believe that the explosions were the latest anti-western outrage by terrorists in Indonesia linked to Osama bin Laden.

However, British officials insisted it was too early to tell who was responsible.

The Sari Club in Kuta, which was packed with holidaymakers at the time, was destroyed by the bombers.

The popular venue was reduced to a pile of smouldering ruins, with blood, severed limbs and body parts strewn across the blackened pavement outside.

British tourist James Woodley, back at the scene of the blast during daylight hours, told of his amazing escape.

With his face bandaged to protect a wound, Mr Woodley - who was on the dance floor of the club at the time - said: "I heard what I thought was a gunshot outside, I saw people running.

"The next thing there was just the most incredible explosion and the whole place collapsed. I was lying on the floor. I somehow saw a gap, above where I was lying, and I just managed to crawl through a hole. There were flames everywhere - incredible heat.

"I just ran across the top of all the iron, and there was burning bamboo and burning straw. It was just horrific. "

By last night, 26 Britons had been treated and discharged from hospital but 14 were still receiving treatment.

Downing Street said Tony Blair had sent messages of condolence to the Indonesian President Megawati Sukar-noputri and John Howard, Prime Minister of Australia, from where many of the victims came.

The Metropolitan Police announced last night that a team from its anti-terrorist branch was travelling to Singapore.

They will be on standby to offer assistance to the Indonesian authorities.