THEN I SAW A CHILD WITH ITS HEAD ON FIRE
They are professionals - the men and women who were among the first to help the dying and injured in the minutes after the bomb went off.
For them the full horror only hit home after they had fulfilled their duties and later, stripped of their uniforms and titles, grieved liked everyone else.
'Then I saw a child with its head on fire'
THE RUC MAN
CONSTABLE ANDREW Moore and his colleagues cleared the streets around Omagh Court House - ushering people to what they believed was safety.
There was no obvious suspect vehicle and the officers thought they were dealing with a hoax. They had started to make their own way down the street, away from the court house, when the bomb exploded.
The police officers were on the scene of the blast within seconds.
Constable Moore, 27, recalls the images which he says will live with him for the rest of his life.
"There was smoke coming from the brow of the hill and we stopped in our tracks for what seemed like an eternity and then just ran towards it.
"When we reached the brow of the hill there were people everywhere, some with blood, others without a scratch.
"We kept running towards them and they were coming at us with blood dripping from them.
"It was like tunnel vision, the further you got, the worse the injuries.
"Then there were just bodies everywhere, it was like a war zone, a killing field.
Numbed
"I hadn't a clue what to do, I was numbed by the whole thing.
"I wasn't a policeman anymore, I was the same as everyone else. It was as if I had thrown off the uniform.
"I saw a young boy covered in blood and I knelt beside him. I hadn't a clue what to do.
"The blood was pouring out of him and his eyes just stared right through you.
"Everywhere you looked, there was blood and so much smoke you couldn't see where you were.
"I was trying to talk to the young boy, and I looked beside him and saw a child with its head on fire.
"I just stopped and stared, I couldn't take it in, there were flames coming out of his head.
"There was another boy screaming 'mummy, mummy', I just picked him up and sat him on the pavement.
"That's when I saw a beautiful looking teenage girl.
"She was perfect until you got to her waist and there was nothing from I there on down.
"She was screaming, there were wails coming from everywhere.
"I knew she was in such a state of shock she did not realise how bad her injuries were.
"I didn't know who was more needy, this girl or the boy.
"People were trying to pull you to help others.
"There was a woman, she was grey and there was blood dripping down her and she was walking about looking for her child.
"I didn't know what to do. People were just looking to you to do something, I never felt so alone and so helpless.
"I leaned over the teenage girl and took her hand and told her she would be alright.
"I got somebody to stay with the boy and I lifted the girl in my arms and told her not to look down but to keep looking at me.
"I walked past bodies, through bodies, but there was nowhere to put her, the ambulances were full and there were trucks and vans, all full of injured people.
"It seemed like a lifetime before I eventually was able to put her on the floor of an ambulance, her jeans were still burning.
"I just had to leave her there and go back for more.
Dead
"You just picked up those who were alive.
"Dead people were lying on top of each other, I don't know how many we lifted, time had no bearing at all."
When the injured were all taken to hospital, the police joined in the harrowing task of removing the dead.
Said Constable Moore: "When we were lifting the bodies, we had to cradle them to get them onto the stretchers because they were in bits."
Constable Moore and his colleagues stayed on duty throughout the night, helping where was needed.
Bravely speaking on behalf of all his colleagues, the young police officer paid tribute to their courage.
He said: "We tried to do as much as we could, but you felt it was never enough.
"You couldn't stop to think about it, you just kept going. It was like a dream.
"My colleagues were brilliant, I feel really honoured to work with these people.
"I admire everyone who was there. They worked and coped far better than I did."
Still filled with an acute sense of disbelief at the horror brought to On Saturday, the young constable said: "As a human being I can't understand it. I can't say anything. I can't put it into words.
"I'll never forget it, nothing in life would ever prepare you for it."
For them the full horror only hit home after they had fulfilled their duties and later, stripped of their uniforms and titles, grieved liked everyone else.
'Then I saw a child with its head on fire'
THE RUC MAN
CONSTABLE ANDREW Moore and his colleagues cleared the streets around Omagh Court House - ushering people to what they believed was safety.
There was no obvious suspect vehicle and the officers thought they were dealing with a hoax. They had started to make their own way down the street, away from the court house, when the bomb exploded.
The police officers were on the scene of the blast within seconds.
Constable Moore, 27, recalls the images which he says will live with him for the rest of his life.
"There was smoke coming from the brow of the hill and we stopped in our tracks for what seemed like an eternity and then just ran towards it.
"When we reached the brow of the hill there were people everywhere, some with blood, others without a scratch.
"We kept running towards them and they were coming at us with blood dripping from them.
"It was like tunnel vision, the further you got, the worse the injuries.
"Then there were just bodies everywhere, it was like a war zone, a killing field.
Numbed
"I hadn't a clue what to do, I was numbed by the whole thing.
"I wasn't a policeman anymore, I was the same as everyone else. It was as if I had thrown off the uniform.
"I saw a young boy covered in blood and I knelt beside him. I hadn't a clue what to do.
"The blood was pouring out of him and his eyes just stared right through you.
"Everywhere you looked, there was blood and so much smoke you couldn't see where you were.
"I was trying to talk to the young boy, and I looked beside him and saw a child with its head on fire.
"I just stopped and stared, I couldn't take it in, there were flames coming out of his head.
"There was another boy screaming 'mummy, mummy', I just picked him up and sat him on the pavement.
"That's when I saw a beautiful looking teenage girl.
"She was perfect until you got to her waist and there was nothing from I there on down.
"She was screaming, there were wails coming from everywhere.
"I knew she was in such a state of shock she did not realise how bad her injuries were.
"I didn't know who was more needy, this girl or the boy.
"People were trying to pull you to help others.
"There was a woman, she was grey and there was blood dripping down her and she was walking about looking for her child.
"I didn't know what to do. People were just looking to you to do something, I never felt so alone and so helpless.
"I leaned over the teenage girl and took her hand and told her she would be alright.
"I got somebody to stay with the boy and I lifted the girl in my arms and told her not to look down but to keep looking at me.
"I walked past bodies, through bodies, but there was nowhere to put her, the ambulances were full and there were trucks and vans, all full of injured people.
"It seemed like a lifetime before I eventually was able to put her on the floor of an ambulance, her jeans were still burning.
"I just had to leave her there and go back for more.
Dead
"You just picked up those who were alive.
"Dead people were lying on top of each other, I don't know how many we lifted, time had no bearing at all."
When the injured were all taken to hospital, the police joined in the harrowing task of removing the dead.
Said Constable Moore: "When we were lifting the bodies, we had to cradle them to get them onto the stretchers because they were in bits."
Constable Moore and his colleagues stayed on duty throughout the night, helping where was needed.
Bravely speaking on behalf of all his colleagues, the young police officer paid tribute to their courage.
He said: "We tried to do as much as we could, but you felt it was never enough.
"You couldn't stop to think about it, you just kept going. It was like a dream.
"My colleagues were brilliant, I feel really honoured to work with these people.
"I admire everyone who was there. They worked and coped far better than I did."
Still filled with an acute sense of disbelief at the horror brought to On Saturday, the young constable said: "As a human being I can't understand it. I can't say anything. I can't put it into words.
"I'll never forget it, nothing in life would ever prepare you for it."
Further Information
Publisher: SUNDAY LIFE
Ref: SL/024
Published Date: 23-Aug-98
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