BT/0612

Omagh victim total 'may never emerge'
Relatives face new ordeal at bomb inquest
By Darwin Templeton
Chief Reporter in Omagh

THE true number of casualties from the Omagh bomb may never be known, a coroner said today as he opened the inquest into the 29 deaths.
John Leckey made reference to the two unborn children of Avril Monaghan who were killed in the terrorist attack and also pointed to the hundreds who were injured and deeply traumatised.
He stressed the perimeters of his inquiry were limited and he was forbidden to express any opinion on questions of criminal or civil liability.
He said his finding would be a concise statement of fact surrounding the atrocity in August 1998 in which 29 people died.
Mr Leckey added: "It should contain no comment on matters of criminal or civil liability or on the apportionment of guilt or the 'attribution of blame'.
"It has been recognised in the course of an inquest hearing facts bearing on criminal and civil liability may be explored - the circumstances of the death may make that inevitable.
"What is important is that the finding should not contain any comment that appears to make any determination on those issues."
Mr Leckey said that he accepted that the inquests, and the media attention, would be "another cross to bear" for the victims' families.
And referring to the death of the Monaghan twins in the attack, the coroner questioned whether it was accurate to say that just 29 people died.
He said: "The unborn twin girls also died as a result of the bomb explosion. Who could deny that the true number of fatalities was in reality 31?"
Mrs Monaghan and her 18-month-old daughter Maura also lost their lives.
He added: "The true number of casualties - and the word casualties deserves to have a generous interpretation - from the Omagh bomb explosion is, without doubt, far in excess of the number killed and injured and the exact number may never be known."
Relatives of the people killed in the bombing were steeling themselves to revisit the horror today as the inquest opened.
More than 150 witnesses have been called to help piece together events on the day of the Real IRA attack.
The evidence was expected to begin with the telephone bomb warnings and move on to the accounts of medics and RUC men who attended the scene of carnage after the explosion.
The circumstances surrounding the death of each individual victim will then be explored in turn.
The minor hall at Omagh Leisure Centre was transformed into a hi-tech courtroom, seating 280 people, for the inquest. The RUC is also likely to give evidence on its efforts to catch the terrorists behind the atrocity.
Photographs taken in the town before and after the explosion were also due to be presented.
The venue has given the hearing an added poignancy, because the leisure centre was used as an emergency incident centre in the aftermath of the bomb. Families of the dead have voiced their apprehension about hearing details of the terrible injuries suffered by their loved ones.
Michael Gallagher, whose son Aidan died in the bombing, said: "I've been speaking to quite a few of the relatives and we are all feeling the strain.
"The leisure centre was where we all spent the worst hours of our lives and was probably the worst place to hold the inquest, but there was no alternative."
The arrangements, which were modelled on the Bloody Sunday Inquiry, have so far cost £1.5m.
Following his opening statement Mr Leckey was due to rule on a number of legal applications and had to decide whether to grant a postponement.
The inquest was due to last four weeks.