Eight people who were convicted drug smugglers have been executed by firing squad in Indonesia

The executions took place in Besi prison on the island of Nusakambangan early on Wednesday morning local time, local media reports say.

They were executed by firing squad on Tuesday, despite pleas by the Nigerian government, UN and Amnesty International for the death sentence to be lifted.

The men had tried to smuggle heroine into the country.

Among the men executed were , two Australians and four Nigerians .

Eleventh hour vigil was held in Sydney for death row Australians.

The Australian pair were the first to die in the latest round of executions after a final KFC bucket meal.

Ambulances seen passing  in Jarkarta transporting the bodies of executed Australian drug smugglers Myuran Sukumaran and Andrew Chan on Wednesday.

All eight men refused to wear blind-folds as they spent their last minutes of life praying, praising God and singing songs including Amazing Grace, according to the pastors who were with them in their final hours.

Irish-born priest Charlie Burrows, who was present at the executions, said the men were tied up about four metres apart from one another.

'When they were being put on the cross for execution they were singing on the crosses and we were in a tent not too far away from the execution place trying to support them,' Father Burrows, spiritual advisor to the Brazilian man executed, told News Corp. More pictures below: