WORKERS TELL OF HORROR
Workers tell of unimaginable horror
By Janet Devlin
THE horror is unimaginable.
Nine people died in SD Kells drapery shop in Market Street as the car bomb exploded directly in front of the popular store.
It is thought seven victims were killed inside the shop, and two others died after they were blown into the store by the force of the blast.
Stunned staff from the shop this week made the moving journey to the homes of the dead to grieve with the relatives.
Sharon Robinson (26), broke down as she recalled the last moments of Mary Grimes, her daughter Avril and grand-daughter Maura.
She served the women, enjoying a family shopping trip, bade them good day and saw them at the door of the shop when the bomb went off.
The staff, brought together at the Silverbirch Hotel by their boss Roy Kells, believe seven of the 20 shoppers in SD Kells when the bomb went off were killed and that another two were blown inside by the blast.
Shop manager Stephen McKervey said: "There was a woman. The whole side of her face had been blown off. Literally half her face was gone. She was wandering about, she didn't even know. A priest came in and gave the last rites. He was in tears."
Jonathan Mehaffey was in the gents department in the basement and said the force of the explosion carried the emergency door off its hinges.
"There was a man telling me his wife was lying there. He said: 'Please help her'."The way I saw it, it looked like she had gone. You could only see her face, the rest of her body you just couldn't recognise, it was covered."
Staff from the shop have paid emotional visits to the relatives of some of the victims.
Still in shock, sales workers from SD Kells went to see the family of Mrs Grimes and Mrs Monaghan.
Mr Kells said: "They were very relieved to see us and to talk to Sharon (shop worker Sharon Robinson, who had served the family) and they want to meet again.
"First of all it let them know where their loved ones had died, and to talk to someone who spoke to them in their dying seconds.
"Sharon was able to tell them how they walked out, how the baby and mother waved at her.
"She was able to reassure them that they didn't suffer. They were dead right away."
By Janet Devlin
THE horror is unimaginable.
Nine people died in SD Kells drapery shop in Market Street as the car bomb exploded directly in front of the popular store.
It is thought seven victims were killed inside the shop, and two others died after they were blown into the store by the force of the blast.
Stunned staff from the shop this week made the moving journey to the homes of the dead to grieve with the relatives.
Sharon Robinson (26), broke down as she recalled the last moments of Mary Grimes, her daughter Avril and grand-daughter Maura.
She served the women, enjoying a family shopping trip, bade them good day and saw them at the door of the shop when the bomb went off.
The staff, brought together at the Silverbirch Hotel by their boss Roy Kells, believe seven of the 20 shoppers in SD Kells when the bomb went off were killed and that another two were blown inside by the blast.
Shop manager Stephen McKervey said: "There was a woman. The whole side of her face had been blown off. Literally half her face was gone. She was wandering about, she didn't even know. A priest came in and gave the last rites. He was in tears."
Jonathan Mehaffey was in the gents department in the basement and said the force of the explosion carried the emergency door off its hinges.
"There was a man telling me his wife was lying there. He said: 'Please help her'."The way I saw it, it looked like she had gone. You could only see her face, the rest of her body you just couldn't recognise, it was covered."
Staff from the shop have paid emotional visits to the relatives of some of the victims.
Still in shock, sales workers from SD Kells went to see the family of Mrs Grimes and Mrs Monaghan.
Mr Kells said: "They were very relieved to see us and to talk to Sharon (shop worker Sharon Robinson, who had served the family) and they want to meet again.
"First of all it let them know where their loved ones had died, and to talk to someone who spoke to them in their dying seconds.
"Sharon was able to tell them how they walked out, how the baby and mother waved at her.
"She was able to reassure them that they didn't suffer. They were dead right away."
Further Information
Publisher: BELFAST TELEGRAPH
Ref: BT/0122
Published Date: 20-Aug-98
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