HOSPITAL STAFF CONTEND WITH BATTLEFIELD SCENES
One Spaniard killed in blast and 10 others are injured
ONE of the medical staff tending the wounded at Tyrone County Hospital saw their own child brought in seriously injured.
Dominic Pinto, senior consultant surgeon at Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh, said: "One or two of my staff had their own children involved.
"Unfortunately one case was quite a severe incident."
He said of the aftermath of Saturday's blast: "It was a battlefield.
"When I arrived at the hospital there were so many people injured one didn't know where to start."
Mr Pinto told a news conference at the hospital he was struggling to come to terms with the horrific scenes of suffering in the hospital that dealt with 148 casualties.
He was visibly exhausted and upset after working through the night helping the injured.
Mr Pinto added: "It saddens me to think that people perpetrate such atrocity.
"I want to appeal to these people and say what have they gained by doing this?"It is their own people that they are injuring and maiming.
"I appeal to them, let me not see this sort of thing again. It's dastardly."
Mr Pinto said: "I am still trying to fathom out what makes people do this.
"I am saddened and lost for words."
He and his colleagues said that initially their thoughts were for the blast victims and relatives of those who were dead and injured.
They pointed out that many of the hospital staff had been directly involved and had relatives and friends caught up in the blast.
Hospital workers were boosted at the peak period of Saturday's crisis by staff who moved in to Omagh from other parts of Northern Ireland.
A statement from the local health authority said they were also supported on Saturday by all the emergency services including paramedics, local GPs and volunteers.
The immediate staff in the hospital were supported by many who were off-duty and responded to a request for assistance.
They thanked health care workers, clergy and other members of the public who also gave assistance. A spokesman revealed that a number of Spanish students who were in Omagh for the day, got caught up in the blast.
Some of them spoke no English and translators had to be brought in.
A number of the students' families were in touch with the hospital from Spain.
More than 100 victims of the devastating Omagh bomb, including many children, were yesterday being treated in hospitals across Northern Ireland. At least 10 of the 105 were critical, while others were moved to other hospitals for specialist treatment.
It was learned later that one Spanish national was killed in the blast and 10 others were injured, including four children.
Those most seriously hurt were flown by helicopter to the region's main trauma centre, the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
Twenty-two people were being treated there, yesterday, including three Spaniards.
Five women, one of them Spanish, two men and a child were all described as being in a critical state.
Spokesman Gerry Carson said: "We put our emergency plan into operation, yesterday.
"There were helicopters landing in the carpark until late into the evening," he said.
"At one stage we had to use the lights from police cars and ambulances for a helicopter to land," Mr Carson said.
Two teenage girls were being treated at the Ulster Hospital in Belfast, where their condition was stable.
A third girl aged 13 was being transferred to the hospital, which has a plastic surgery unit.
Twenty-one people were being treated at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, including five young children and another five under 18. A spokesman said: "We have a few people who are still critical and several who are seriously injured."
Twenty-eight people were, yesterday, still being treated at Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh which was the first stop for casualties, yesterday.
A spokesman for the hospital said that none of the patient - who include some children - was critical.
Most of the patients - 69 - were transferred to Erne Hospital in Enniskillen on Saturday afternoon.
Thirty-three were allowed home after being treatment for their injuries and several others have been taken to hospitals in Belfast.
Thirty-one were still being treated for extensive burns and cuts at the hospital, yesterday.
Four victims of the explosion, including one child, are in intensive care, with the rest are described as stable.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
ONE of the medical staff tending the wounded at Tyrone County Hospital saw their own child brought in seriously injured.
Dominic Pinto, senior consultant surgeon at Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh, said: "One or two of my staff had their own children involved.
"Unfortunately one case was quite a severe incident."
He said of the aftermath of Saturday's blast: "It was a battlefield.
"When I arrived at the hospital there were so many people injured one didn't know where to start."
Mr Pinto told a news conference at the hospital he was struggling to come to terms with the horrific scenes of suffering in the hospital that dealt with 148 casualties.
He was visibly exhausted and upset after working through the night helping the injured.
Mr Pinto added: "It saddens me to think that people perpetrate such atrocity.
"I want to appeal to these people and say what have they gained by doing this?"It is their own people that they are injuring and maiming.
"I appeal to them, let me not see this sort of thing again. It's dastardly."
Mr Pinto said: "I am still trying to fathom out what makes people do this.
"I am saddened and lost for words."
He and his colleagues said that initially their thoughts were for the blast victims and relatives of those who were dead and injured.
They pointed out that many of the hospital staff had been directly involved and had relatives and friends caught up in the blast.
Hospital workers were boosted at the peak period of Saturday's crisis by staff who moved in to Omagh from other parts of Northern Ireland.
A statement from the local health authority said they were also supported on Saturday by all the emergency services including paramedics, local GPs and volunteers.
The immediate staff in the hospital were supported by many who were off-duty and responded to a request for assistance.
They thanked health care workers, clergy and other members of the public who also gave assistance. A spokesman revealed that a number of Spanish students who were in Omagh for the day, got caught up in the blast.
Some of them spoke no English and translators had to be brought in.
A number of the students' families were in touch with the hospital from Spain.
More than 100 victims of the devastating Omagh bomb, including many children, were yesterday being treated in hospitals across Northern Ireland. At least 10 of the 105 were critical, while others were moved to other hospitals for specialist treatment.
It was learned later that one Spanish national was killed in the blast and 10 others were injured, including four children.
Those most seriously hurt were flown by helicopter to the region's main trauma centre, the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast.
Twenty-two people were being treated there, yesterday, including three Spaniards.
Five women, one of them Spanish, two men and a child were all described as being in a critical state.
Spokesman Gerry Carson said: "We put our emergency plan into operation, yesterday.
"There were helicopters landing in the carpark until late into the evening," he said.
"At one stage we had to use the lights from police cars and ambulances for a helicopter to land," Mr Carson said.
Two teenage girls were being treated at the Ulster Hospital in Belfast, where their condition was stable.
A third girl aged 13 was being transferred to the hospital, which has a plastic surgery unit.
Twenty-one people were being treated at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry, including five young children and another five under 18. A spokesman said: "We have a few people who are still critical and several who are seriously injured."
Twenty-eight people were, yesterday, still being treated at Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh which was the first stop for casualties, yesterday.
A spokesman for the hospital said that none of the patient - who include some children - was critical.
Most of the patients - 69 - were transferred to Erne Hospital in Enniskillen on Saturday afternoon.
Thirty-three were allowed home after being treatment for their injuries and several others have been taken to hospitals in Belfast.
Thirty-one were still being treated for extensive burns and cuts at the hospital, yesterday.
Four victims of the explosion, including one child, are in intensive care, with the rest are described as stable.
Courtesy of Irish Examiner
Further Information
Publisher: THE EXAMINER
Ref: TEX/008
Published Date: 17-Aug-98
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