CHILDREN'S DAY OF DELIGHT TURNED TO FEAR AND HYSTERICS
Children's day of delight turned to fear and hysterics
Five people who travelled from Buncrana on that fateful day died in the blast.
As well as Shaun McLaughlin and Oran Doherty the bomb also killed James Barker, the son of an English family, the other members of whom have since returned to the mainland, and two Spanish language students, little Fernando Blasco Baselga, and his leader, Miss Rocio Abah Ramos.
The final hours of their lives were relived through various witnesses, including the Buncrana bus driver, who saw the children's delight turn to fear and hysterics.
The coroner agreed to hear the inquests into the deaths of Shaun and Oran together as they had been together on the day and had died almost side by side.
In a deposition, Mr. Liam McGonigle told the inquest that he drove a 53-seater bus from Buncrana to the Ulster American Folk Park. On board were 30 Spanish students with three Spanish leaders and 10 local children.
He said it had been arranged that the group would leave the park at around 2pm to go into Omagh to shop. Young James Barker was the first back to the bus at 1.30pm.
On arrival at Omagh the bus was parked in Drumragh car park, by the wall and facing the road.
It was by then 2.40pm and all the children and the three leaders got out. It had been arranged that they were to be back at the bus by 4.15pm for the return journey home.
He told the inquest how he had planned to join the children in town after he had eaten his packed lunch. While on the bus he heard police sirens and saw police cars travelling along the bridge and thought they were responding to a fight or trouble.
At that stage five of the 'local' children and some of the Spanish students returned to the bus, one girl was crying and was upset.
He said he learned from them that there was a bomb warning and at that time he thought it was a hoax. The children got onto the bus which prevented him from going to look for the others.
When the bomb detonated he saw a cloud of smoke and in it he saw a plank of wood flying towards him so he put his hands up. He did not know where it went.
Mr. McGonigle said that he told the children to stay on the bus and remain calm, and he left them and went to look for the other children.
He said it was at that point that he saw a car leave the car park in an erratic manner. It was an old type of red Vauxhall and was driven by a man in his 30s. The car was driven across a green area and curbing.
He said he then went onto Strule Bridge but was prevented from getting into town by a policewoman who told him to go back and look after the other children.
Those children still up town had not come back to the bus, so he went on foot to the Ulsterbus depot, telephoned his wife and explained the situation.
He said that for safety reasons he moved the bus and told the children to wait for him to return.
He then tried again to get into town but the same policewoman stopped him and told him to go to the hospital. He said that as he drove past the children he shouted at them to stay where they were.
At the hospital he was taken to the rear of the building, but the scene he encountered he could not accept. Outside the out patients department he met some Spanish students who were hysterical. Some were injured.
Some of them said their leaders were in the hospital. In the building he met one of them, who told him a female member of the Spanish contingent was across the floor. As he comforted her she told him that one of the Spanish students was injured.
Mr. McGonigle said he then returned to the students he had left behind, and then he accompanied the police to help with the missing children. A list including the names of those later discovered dead was drawn up.
Mr. McGonigle and the remaining students who were not admitted to hospital made the return journey, arriving back in Buncrana at 3am.
Counselling
He said that since the time of the bomb he has been receiving counselling, and he still found the atrocity very difficult to talk about.
Emmet McLaughlin, a cousin of Oran Doherty, said he had been with Shaun, Oran and James when they went to the shops.
He said he got scared when he realised there was a bomb scare, and he followed Shaun, Oran and James down to Market Street.
"Everyone was going down that way," he said in his deposition.
He said he was behind the three boys and in the middle of the street while they were to his right, and there was a giant bang.
"When the things stopped falling everywhere I could see the people all around me were badly injured," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Shane McColgan said that when he heard the explosion he drove his car as far as the garage in Campsie and parked up before running up to the junction.
After a moment he gathered his thoughts and ran into Market Street. The dust was still settling and ambulances had not yet arrived.
He said he saw a young boy lying outside Mr. Gs facing towards the shop front. The child was in a red or copper coloured top and he knew he was dead.
He said he later identified the boy from a photograph as Shaun Anthony McLaughlin.
Dr. Khalil Amir told the Inquest that he was called to the Accident and Emergency Department at the County and said among the arrivals was a young boy.
He said the boy was probably dead on arrival at the unit, but he was given CPR without success, and he pronounced life extinct at 3.30pm.
Almost a fortnight later he said he identified the boy from a photograph.
Constable Edwin Armstrong said he was tasked to look after and escort the boy's body, while Detective Sergeant Deborah McMaster said she assisted Shaun's uncle, Mr. Michael Doherty, and the boy's father, Mr. John McLaughlin, to identify the child.
Mr. McLaughlin said he first learned of the explosion at 4pm on the Saturday, but he did not hear any news about his son until 7.30am the following morning.
Coroner: "So you had that terrible wait over night before the dreadful news was known to you?"
Mr. McLaughlin: "That's right".
The bereaved father added that he and another man had set out at 9.30pm that night to look for the children.
In his report to the inquest Professor Jack Crane said that the cause of Shaun's death had been multiple injuries due to a bomb explosion. His injuries included being struck by shrapnel which fractured his skull. The 12-year-old also had extensive internal injuries, and it was the combined effects which caused his rapid death.
The professor said Shaun was fairly close to the bomb judging from his injuries and his injuries were such that he would have been immediately rendered unconscious, with death following very quickly.
In respect of the inquest into the death of Oran Doherty, Detective Sergeant William Robert Fulton, said he helped to identify the eight-year-old boy with the help of Oran's uncle, Mr. William Doherty.
Mr. Doherty gave corroborative evidence and told the coroner that it had been distressing for him.
In his report, the Deputy State Pathologist, Dr. Derek Carson, who has since retired, said the cause of Oran's death was brain injury associated with a fracture of the skull caused by a bomb explosion.
He said the head injury would have caused immediate unconsciousness, and there was no chance of recovery. He said it was likely that the child died rapidly, probably within minutes.
Expressing sympathy, the coroner said that Buncrana had also suffered from bomb hoaxes.
He said he was sure Shaun and Oran had looked forward very much to the day trip, and he was given to understand that a festival was taking place in Omagh on the day of the bombing.
"It is dreadful to think that a happy day out with friends and other Spanish children should end so tragically. I appreciate how difficult it was for the respective families having to wait until they knew what happened to those two boys.
"We should not forget that Oran was only eight, and Shaun 12. It seems to me that it was nothing short of miraculous that other children, and I am particularly thinking of Emmet McLaughlin, did not die.
"I sense also the grief in Buncrana extends not only to Shaun and Oran, but to the two members of the Spanish party that so tragically died.
"Could I say I became aware rather too late in the day that some families from Buncrana had travelled down for the inquests into the deaths of the two Spanish students. I am very sorry it was a wasted journey. I can only apologise for what happened.
The coroner told the families that he would contact them in respect of the final day of the inquests, so that they could attend.
Five people who travelled from Buncrana on that fateful day died in the blast.
As well as Shaun McLaughlin and Oran Doherty the bomb also killed James Barker, the son of an English family, the other members of whom have since returned to the mainland, and two Spanish language students, little Fernando Blasco Baselga, and his leader, Miss Rocio Abah Ramos.
The final hours of their lives were relived through various witnesses, including the Buncrana bus driver, who saw the children's delight turn to fear and hysterics.
The coroner agreed to hear the inquests into the deaths of Shaun and Oran together as they had been together on the day and had died almost side by side.
In a deposition, Mr. Liam McGonigle told the inquest that he drove a 53-seater bus from Buncrana to the Ulster American Folk Park. On board were 30 Spanish students with three Spanish leaders and 10 local children.
He said it had been arranged that the group would leave the park at around 2pm to go into Omagh to shop. Young James Barker was the first back to the bus at 1.30pm.
On arrival at Omagh the bus was parked in Drumragh car park, by the wall and facing the road.
It was by then 2.40pm and all the children and the three leaders got out. It had been arranged that they were to be back at the bus by 4.15pm for the return journey home.
He told the inquest how he had planned to join the children in town after he had eaten his packed lunch. While on the bus he heard police sirens and saw police cars travelling along the bridge and thought they were responding to a fight or trouble.
At that stage five of the 'local' children and some of the Spanish students returned to the bus, one girl was crying and was upset.
He said he learned from them that there was a bomb warning and at that time he thought it was a hoax. The children got onto the bus which prevented him from going to look for the others.
When the bomb detonated he saw a cloud of smoke and in it he saw a plank of wood flying towards him so he put his hands up. He did not know where it went.
Mr. McGonigle said that he told the children to stay on the bus and remain calm, and he left them and went to look for the other children.
He said it was at that point that he saw a car leave the car park in an erratic manner. It was an old type of red Vauxhall and was driven by a man in his 30s. The car was driven across a green area and curbing.
He said he then went onto Strule Bridge but was prevented from getting into town by a policewoman who told him to go back and look after the other children.
Those children still up town had not come back to the bus, so he went on foot to the Ulsterbus depot, telephoned his wife and explained the situation.
He said that for safety reasons he moved the bus and told the children to wait for him to return.
He then tried again to get into town but the same policewoman stopped him and told him to go to the hospital. He said that as he drove past the children he shouted at them to stay where they were.
At the hospital he was taken to the rear of the building, but the scene he encountered he could not accept. Outside the out patients department he met some Spanish students who were hysterical. Some were injured.
Some of them said their leaders were in the hospital. In the building he met one of them, who told him a female member of the Spanish contingent was across the floor. As he comforted her she told him that one of the Spanish students was injured.
Mr. McGonigle said he then returned to the students he had left behind, and then he accompanied the police to help with the missing children. A list including the names of those later discovered dead was drawn up.
Mr. McGonigle and the remaining students who were not admitted to hospital made the return journey, arriving back in Buncrana at 3am.
Counselling
He said that since the time of the bomb he has been receiving counselling, and he still found the atrocity very difficult to talk about.
Emmet McLaughlin, a cousin of Oran Doherty, said he had been with Shaun, Oran and James when they went to the shops.
He said he got scared when he realised there was a bomb scare, and he followed Shaun, Oran and James down to Market Street.
"Everyone was going down that way," he said in his deposition.
He said he was behind the three boys and in the middle of the street while they were to his right, and there was a giant bang.
"When the things stopped falling everywhere I could see the people all around me were badly injured," he said.
Meanwhile, Mr. Shane McColgan said that when he heard the explosion he drove his car as far as the garage in Campsie and parked up before running up to the junction.
After a moment he gathered his thoughts and ran into Market Street. The dust was still settling and ambulances had not yet arrived.
He said he saw a young boy lying outside Mr. Gs facing towards the shop front. The child was in a red or copper coloured top and he knew he was dead.
He said he later identified the boy from a photograph as Shaun Anthony McLaughlin.
Dr. Khalil Amir told the Inquest that he was called to the Accident and Emergency Department at the County and said among the arrivals was a young boy.
He said the boy was probably dead on arrival at the unit, but he was given CPR without success, and he pronounced life extinct at 3.30pm.
Almost a fortnight later he said he identified the boy from a photograph.
Constable Edwin Armstrong said he was tasked to look after and escort the boy's body, while Detective Sergeant Deborah McMaster said she assisted Shaun's uncle, Mr. Michael Doherty, and the boy's father, Mr. John McLaughlin, to identify the child.
Mr. McLaughlin said he first learned of the explosion at 4pm on the Saturday, but he did not hear any news about his son until 7.30am the following morning.
Coroner: "So you had that terrible wait over night before the dreadful news was known to you?"
Mr. McLaughlin: "That's right".
The bereaved father added that he and another man had set out at 9.30pm that night to look for the children.
In his report to the inquest Professor Jack Crane said that the cause of Shaun's death had been multiple injuries due to a bomb explosion. His injuries included being struck by shrapnel which fractured his skull. The 12-year-old also had extensive internal injuries, and it was the combined effects which caused his rapid death.
The professor said Shaun was fairly close to the bomb judging from his injuries and his injuries were such that he would have been immediately rendered unconscious, with death following very quickly.
In respect of the inquest into the death of Oran Doherty, Detective Sergeant William Robert Fulton, said he helped to identify the eight-year-old boy with the help of Oran's uncle, Mr. William Doherty.
Mr. Doherty gave corroborative evidence and told the coroner that it had been distressing for him.
In his report, the Deputy State Pathologist, Dr. Derek Carson, who has since retired, said the cause of Oran's death was brain injury associated with a fracture of the skull caused by a bomb explosion.
He said the head injury would have caused immediate unconsciousness, and there was no chance of recovery. He said it was likely that the child died rapidly, probably within minutes.
Expressing sympathy, the coroner said that Buncrana had also suffered from bomb hoaxes.
He said he was sure Shaun and Oran had looked forward very much to the day trip, and he was given to understand that a festival was taking place in Omagh on the day of the bombing.
"It is dreadful to think that a happy day out with friends and other Spanish children should end so tragically. I appreciate how difficult it was for the respective families having to wait until they knew what happened to those two boys.
"We should not forget that Oran was only eight, and Shaun 12. It seems to me that it was nothing short of miraculous that other children, and I am particularly thinking of Emmet McLaughlin, did not die.
"I sense also the grief in Buncrana extends not only to Shaun and Oran, but to the two members of the Spanish party that so tragically died.
"Could I say I became aware rather too late in the day that some families from Buncrana had travelled down for the inquests into the deaths of the two Spanish students. I am very sorry it was a wasted journey. I can only apologise for what happened.
The coroner told the families that he would contact them in respect of the final day of the inquests, so that they could attend.
Further Information
Publisher: TYRONE CONSTITUTION
Ref: TC/1567
Published Date: 28-Sep-00
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