Wimbledon delays play for Tunisia victims silence

London: The start of play will be delayed at the Wimbledon tennis championships on Friday to observe Britain`s national minute`s silence for the victims of last week`s Tunisian beach massacre.

Play will be put back from 11:30am to 12:15pm on the outside courts to ensure tennis-goers in southwest London can participate in the national silence at midday (1100 GMT), officials said Wednesday.

A total of 30 of the 38 people killed in Friday`s attack in the holiday resort of Port El Kantaoui were British, the Tunisian government said Wednesday.

"Wimbledon will be joining the national minute`s silence on Friday and we will be asking all those in the grounds at the time to observe the silence out of respect to the victims in Tunisia and their families," said All England Club chief executive Richard Lewis.

The jihadist gun rampage was the worst loss of British life in a terror attack since the July 7, 2005 London suicide bombings that killed 52 people.