LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER
LAMBS TO THE SLAUGHTER
TWENTY-EIGHT people were confirmed dead last night and up to 200 injured in the worst terrorist atrocity in Ulster's bloody history.
The 500lb car bomb went off in the middle of Omagh when the town was packed with Saturday afternoon shoppers.
There were scenes of mayhem and carnage -both at the site of the blast and at the Tyrone County Hospital, where many of the injured were taken. Among them were 15 women, an eight-month-old baby and 10 men murdered by renegade republican terrorists.
Eyewitness Noel Quinn said: "I saw a woman blown into the air and she came down holding her three-year-old baby.
"All around was the smell of burning flesh. I saw a body of a child lying in the street, her body badly smoldering."
Festival floats which were due to pass the site of the bomb were redirected away from Market Street only hours earlier, because there was too many for such a busy street. At the hospital, there was blood everywhere, on the walls and floors, even in the toilets.
Fought
Medical staff, who rushed in to help the emergency operation, desperately fought to save lives and limbs.
Over 150 people were taken to that hospital, 62 mainly children were rushed to Enniskillen while others were ferried by army helicopter to Dungannon, Londonderry and Belfast.
Doctor Michael Herron, who worked at the Mater Hospital through the worst of the Troubles, said the injuries were the worst he had ever seen.
He added that late last night many of the injured were still on the danger list.
They suffered a variety of severe injuries, including ones to the abdomen and head as well as the loss of limbs.
Anxious relatives rushed to the hospital to find out if their loved ones were injured or even dead.
Injured
Long lists of those who had been taken to hospital were read out by hospital administrators.
There was a horrible sense of relief among many of the relatives of those injured as they realised their loved ones were not dead.
But even hours after the explosion people were still sitting in the hospital, desperately waiting for news.
Among the injured were a nine-year-old boy, who was in theatre for two hours, a pregnant women as well as a family group, a mother, her children and two sisters. Four Spanish exchange students were also hurt in the horrific blast.
In Market Street, the bomb destroyed buildings, leaving rubble strewn across the road - in the rubble there were limbs and blood.
A twisted broken pram lay in the centre of the carnage.
RUC officers, who were covered in blood and dust as they dug victims out of the rubble, broke down and wept.
Those who died were taken to a temporary mortuary set up in the town.
Doors, benches and car boots were used to carry the dead and injured away from the rubble to waiting ambulances.
Dead
Curtains and other materials were taken from nearby buildings to cover the dead. Two Ulsterbuses ferried the walking wounded to the hospital.
The warning was totally inaccurate so thousands of men, women and children were being evacuated towards the area where the car bomb exploded in Market Street.
Many were trapped as buildings collapsed at one end of Market Street, close to the junction of the Dublin Road, 40 minutes after the terrorists said it was placed 400 yards away at the court house.
The staff of one shop was virtually wiped out. A mother and daughter were killed. The so-called 'Real' IRA, a republican break-away faction headed the Provisionals' former quartermaster, was blamed for the attack. It plunges the province into a new sis and threatened the future of the developing political process. The attack was widely condemned among others, the Queen, Prime Minsinter Tony Blair, Irish Republic premier Bertie Ahern as well as all the political leaders here including Sinn Fein chief Gerry Adams.
TWENTY-EIGHT people were confirmed dead last night and up to 200 injured in the worst terrorist atrocity in Ulster's bloody history.
The 500lb car bomb went off in the middle of Omagh when the town was packed with Saturday afternoon shoppers.
There were scenes of mayhem and carnage -both at the site of the blast and at the Tyrone County Hospital, where many of the injured were taken. Among them were 15 women, an eight-month-old baby and 10 men murdered by renegade republican terrorists.
Eyewitness Noel Quinn said: "I saw a woman blown into the air and she came down holding her three-year-old baby.
"All around was the smell of burning flesh. I saw a body of a child lying in the street, her body badly smoldering."
Festival floats which were due to pass the site of the bomb were redirected away from Market Street only hours earlier, because there was too many for such a busy street. At the hospital, there was blood everywhere, on the walls and floors, even in the toilets.
Fought
Medical staff, who rushed in to help the emergency operation, desperately fought to save lives and limbs.
Over 150 people were taken to that hospital, 62 mainly children were rushed to Enniskillen while others were ferried by army helicopter to Dungannon, Londonderry and Belfast.
Doctor Michael Herron, who worked at the Mater Hospital through the worst of the Troubles, said the injuries were the worst he had ever seen.
He added that late last night many of the injured were still on the danger list.
They suffered a variety of severe injuries, including ones to the abdomen and head as well as the loss of limbs.
Anxious relatives rushed to the hospital to find out if their loved ones were injured or even dead.
Injured
Long lists of those who had been taken to hospital were read out by hospital administrators.
There was a horrible sense of relief among many of the relatives of those injured as they realised their loved ones were not dead.
But even hours after the explosion people were still sitting in the hospital, desperately waiting for news.
Among the injured were a nine-year-old boy, who was in theatre for two hours, a pregnant women as well as a family group, a mother, her children and two sisters. Four Spanish exchange students were also hurt in the horrific blast.
In Market Street, the bomb destroyed buildings, leaving rubble strewn across the road - in the rubble there were limbs and blood.
A twisted broken pram lay in the centre of the carnage.
RUC officers, who were covered in blood and dust as they dug victims out of the rubble, broke down and wept.
Those who died were taken to a temporary mortuary set up in the town.
Doors, benches and car boots were used to carry the dead and injured away from the rubble to waiting ambulances.
Dead
Curtains and other materials were taken from nearby buildings to cover the dead. Two Ulsterbuses ferried the walking wounded to the hospital.
The warning was totally inaccurate so thousands of men, women and children were being evacuated towards the area where the car bomb exploded in Market Street.
Many were trapped as buildings collapsed at one end of Market Street, close to the junction of the Dublin Road, 40 minutes after the terrorists said it was placed 400 yards away at the court house.
The staff of one shop was virtually wiped out. A mother and daughter were killed. The so-called 'Real' IRA, a republican break-away faction headed the Provisionals' former quartermaster, was blamed for the attack. It plunges the province into a new sis and threatened the future of the developing political process. The attack was widely condemned among others, the Queen, Prime Minsinter Tony Blair, Irish Republic premier Bertie Ahern as well as all the political leaders here including Sinn Fein chief Gerry Adams.
Further Information
Publisher: SUNDAY LIFE
Ref: SL/002
Published Date: 16-Aug-98
Related Images
There have been no images archived for this article.