DOCTOR FEARS DEATH TOLL WILL RISE
Doctor fears death toll will rise
By Tim Brannigan
A SENIOR consultant at the Royal Victoria Hospital has said that more deaths are likely as a result of the serious injuries that were inflicted by the Omagh bombing.
Dr Laurence Rocke outlined the nature of the injuries that the RVH, which is the main trauma centre for Northern Ireland, has been dealing with since the blast.
He said: "We've seen a very broad spectrum of injuries. We've seen burns, head injuries, chest and major organ injuries.
"Many people have multiple injuries, only a minority have moderate injuries and all of the patients we have received will be disfigured in some way.
"Some will not make a full recovery in terms of being able to function properly. Most of the patients will be disabled in some way. Some will probably not survive."
The hospital's major incident plan was initiated around teatime on Saturday and the hospital was then fully staffed to deal with the incident.
Among those being treated at the Royal were some Spanish schoolchildren who were in Omagh for the day as part of their stay in Ireland to improve their English.
Julian Johnston, the director of the intensive care unit, said that one of the Spaniards - an 11-year-old-girl - was on a life-support machine and that they would waken her in a day or two to see if she could cope unaided.
By Tim Brannigan
A SENIOR consultant at the Royal Victoria Hospital has said that more deaths are likely as a result of the serious injuries that were inflicted by the Omagh bombing.
Dr Laurence Rocke outlined the nature of the injuries that the RVH, which is the main trauma centre for Northern Ireland, has been dealing with since the blast.
He said: "We've seen a very broad spectrum of injuries. We've seen burns, head injuries, chest and major organ injuries.
"Many people have multiple injuries, only a minority have moderate injuries and all of the patients we have received will be disfigured in some way.
"Some will not make a full recovery in terms of being able to function properly. Most of the patients will be disabled in some way. Some will probably not survive."
The hospital's major incident plan was initiated around teatime on Saturday and the hospital was then fully staffed to deal with the incident.
Among those being treated at the Royal were some Spanish schoolchildren who were in Omagh for the day as part of their stay in Ireland to improve their English.
Julian Johnston, the director of the intensive care unit, said that one of the Spaniards - an 11-year-old-girl - was on a life-support machine and that they would waken her in a day or two to see if she could cope unaided.
Further Information
Publisher: THE IRISH NEWS
Ref: IN/0012
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
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