State papers detail horrific aftermath of Omagh bomb

REPORTS detailing the horrific aftermath of the 1998 Omagh bomb have been made available to the public, as part of the annual release of previously-classified state papers.

This year, the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) has released a total of 565 “fully open” files relating to key events in 1998, with a further 132 files having some content blanked out. Just over 30 files are staying closed in full, the bulk of which are individual prisoner files.

Among the various archive documents are files detailing the aftermath of the Real IRA atrocity, including interim reports from the now-defunct Sperrin Lakeland Trust and the Tyrone County Hospital’s medical director at the time, Dr Clive Russell.

Exploding at around 3.10pm on August 15, 1998, the massive car bomb killed 31 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, and injured hundreds more.

The trust’s report details how the Tyrone County Hospital dealt with 209 casualties; the Erne
Hospital dealt with 71 casualties, with 23 transferred to the Royal Victoria Hospital, two to the
Ulster Hospital, one to the City Hospital and 25 to Altnagelvin Hospital.

In his assessment, Omagh man Dr Russell said that, because of how close the ‘County’ was to the blast, the injured arrived before a major incident plan could be properly activated.

He said, “Many off-duty nurses and doctors, including local GPs, had already heard the bomb blast and made the decision to come into the hospital.

“This was to be our salvation.

“Wave upon wave of casualties were arriving.

“Staff were confronted with the most horrible of injuries affecting all ages, but primarily women and young children.”

Dr Russell said, at this point, the decision was taken to open Omagh Leisure Centre as a major incident centre to ease the pressure on the hospital.

Meanwhile, the Sperrin Lakeland Trust document outlines how, prior to the bomb, the Accident and Emergency Department at the County would have been dealing with routine Saturday injuries from local sports clubs and minor injuries resulting from the previous night’s partying.

“Suddenly all of that was thrown into turmoil,” it stated.

The trust’s reported continued, “Staff were faced with two busloads of bleeding and injured men, women and children, also much more seriously injured people arriving by ambulance.

“I also understand that in addition to those who came by bus, taxi, car and ambulance, many people walked the distance from the bomb site to the hospital rather than await transportation.

“Those of us who were not present can barely imagine how horrific that scene must have been.”