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BABY JOY FOR BRAVE BLAST VICTIM KAREN

Baby joy for brave blast victim Karen
My Lucy's so special says proud mum

A PREGNANT woman who survived the Omagh bombing horror has given birth to a baby girl.
Karen Armstrong and her daughter Lucy, weighing in at 71b 12oz, were "doing well" in Altnagelvin Hospital, Londonderry.
She was 26 weeks pregnant when she was caught up in the August 15 explosion which left 29 people dead and more than 250 injured. Karen needed hospital treatment for cuts, burns and shrapnel injuries.
Karen, 26, from Castle View, Omagh said: "I was a bit worried, but thankfully everything has turned out just fine."
She added: "I just hoped she would be okay, that she would be healthy and perfect."
Police believe they have identified the team which was responsible for the car bombing. But even though more than 40 people on both sides of the border have been questioned, nobody has been charged.
The so-called Real IRA, a republican dissident group opposed to the peace process, carried out the attack.
Virtually all of those injured have been released from hospital and a special fund for the survivors and relatives is expected to raise more than £3 million.
Pop sensations Boyzone are due to stage a charity concert in Omagh on January 2 in the latest of a series of fundraising events, and a number of soccer matches involving Manchester United and other top British clubs have been lined up for the end of season.
Karen expects to be released from hospital later this week.
She discovered she was pregnant the day after her mother Jean's funeral in March.
Karen and her partner, Stephen McCrea, later left for a holiday in Gran Canaria. On their way back to Northern Ireland one of the wheels of the aircraft exploded, ripping through a wing. The plane eventually crash-landed in Tenerife after two unsuccessful attempts to touch down, according to Karen.
She said: "Then just a few weeks after we came back from our holiday we were shopping in Omagh. We were with Stephen's sister Ann McCrea.
"My sister Alison worked in the shop near where the bomb had been left, and when she was serving someone the bomb went off.
"All I knew was that Ann and myself were in rubble. Alison managed to get myself and Ann on to a bus which took us to the hospital. I was terrified that for the second time in a few weeks the life of my unborn baby was in danger.
"I know every baby is special, but not too many babies in the womb survive a crash landing and a massive explosion.
"Lucy has a special place in the world and hopefully she will have a peaceful future. She has already gone through so much.
"Stephen and I just cried when she was born healthy."


Further Information

Publisher: NEWS LETTER

Ref: NL/144

Published Date: 07-Dec-98

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