5-HOUR BATTLE TO FIND BURIED VICTIMS
5-hour battle to find buried victims
by RICHARD SHERRIFF
AS PEOPLE fled the scene of devastation in Omagh's main street, the emergency services rushed to offer what help and assistance they could.
The Fire and Ambulance service were among those who faced the grisly task of dealing with the broken and burnt bodies of those caught in the explosion.
Heading up the 50-strong team of fire fighters was Asst. Chief Fire Officer Peter Craig but, yesterday, he was still finding it difficult to describe what he and his men found.
"To be honest, I don't think I could attempt to describe the scene. It was beyond what normal words and imagination could put into perspective. It was just quite horrendous."
Using heavy lifting gear and other equipment, the firefighters worked hand in hand to find and free people trapped in the wreckage of vehicles and buildings.
There were staff and appliances from a wide area around Omagh, as well as off-duty men from the local station who came in as soon as they heard."
For more than five hours they raced against the clock searching for people in the shells of the worst damaged shops, until the last victims were located.
"I can't really begin to describe the level of professionalism that was shown, particularly when no-one was absolutely certain that the place was absolutely safe, that there wasn't another device.
What we had to do was several tasks, to deal with the injured in close proximity to the blast. We also had to carry out a systematic search of buildings to make sure that if there were people trapped they removed as well.
"The most vivid picture I have in my mind is of a small blue pram on the first floor of a cafe, with glass and blood just everywhere."
by RICHARD SHERRIFF
AS PEOPLE fled the scene of devastation in Omagh's main street, the emergency services rushed to offer what help and assistance they could.
The Fire and Ambulance service were among those who faced the grisly task of dealing with the broken and burnt bodies of those caught in the explosion.
Heading up the 50-strong team of fire fighters was Asst. Chief Fire Officer Peter Craig but, yesterday, he was still finding it difficult to describe what he and his men found.
"To be honest, I don't think I could attempt to describe the scene. It was beyond what normal words and imagination could put into perspective. It was just quite horrendous."
Using heavy lifting gear and other equipment, the firefighters worked hand in hand to find and free people trapped in the wreckage of vehicles and buildings.
There were staff and appliances from a wide area around Omagh, as well as off-duty men from the local station who came in as soon as they heard."
For more than five hours they raced against the clock searching for people in the shells of the worst damaged shops, until the last victims were located.
"I can't really begin to describe the level of professionalism that was shown, particularly when no-one was absolutely certain that the place was absolutely safe, that there wasn't another device.
What we had to do was several tasks, to deal with the injured in close proximity to the blast. We also had to carry out a systematic search of buildings to make sure that if there were people trapped they removed as well.
"The most vivid picture I have in my mind is of a small blue pram on the first floor of a cafe, with glass and blood just everywhere."
Further Information
Publisher: NEWS LETTER
Ref: NL/037
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.