Omagh bombing survivor tells inquiry he placed sheets over victims’ bodies

A survivor of the Omagh bombing has told how he placed sheets over victims’ bodies during the carnage in the aftermath of the explosion.

Ian Ferguson, who was working in his family business on the day a massive car bomb devastated the centre of the Co Tyrone town, told the Omagh Bombing Inquiry that his life was changed forever.

The inquiry has moved into a new phase and is hearing from witnesses and people who were injured in the 1998 Real IRA attack.

The public inquiry was set up by the Government to examine whether the explosion, which killed 29 people including the mother of unborn twins, could have been prevented by the UK authorities.

Giving evidence, Mr Ferguson said he was working in the Spick And Span dry cleaning business on the day of the bombing.

He said it was a “typical Saturday morning” and people in the street outside his shop were “happy and joyful”.

Mr Ferguson said that following an alert he was preparing to leave his shop when the bomb exploded.

He said: “The rails with the garments at the back of the shop fell to the floor. The smoke alarms and screaming started.

“The two girls I had working with me, they started to panic.

“I have a back yard so I took them out to ensure they were safe.”

Mr Ferguson said he took his staff members away from the scene and left them in the care of a police officer before returning to his shop.

He said he noticed that the engine of the car which had exploded was still on fire.

Mr Ferguson said: “I went back into the shop and took two fire extinguishers.

“Me and another gentleman, I don’t know who it was, started to put the blaze out.

“From that, it was just carnage, the screaming and crying, the smell of smoke, it was just terrible.

“I started then to help people, lifting them off the ground.

“I remember lifting a lady on to a piece of wood and using it as a stretcher to take her down the street.

“I don’t know how long but I spent most of the day carrying people.”

Mr Ferguson said he then went back to his shop to let his parents know he was safe but was so disorientated he could not remember their phone number, so called a friend to contact his parents.

He said: “I went back out to help again. There were people bleeding, so I brought towels, blankets, anything I could get from the shop to use as bandages to help people.

“I don’t know how long it lasted. I met the late Father (Kevin) Mullan on the street.

“He was giving people the last rites and I was putting sheets over them.”

He added: “I went home that evening, I can’t remember what time.

“I felt so thankful to be home. A lot of people went to town that day and never came home.”

Mr Ferguson told the inquiry he had been fighting against depression ever since and does not like to be in large crowds.

He said: “That day changed the whole layout of the street.

“I lost so many friends and colleagues who never came back to work.

“On a Saturday evening we would have met up after work and had a drink and talked about how our week went.

“That has never happened since because people have left.”

A barrister then read statements to the inquiry provided by two women, Valerie Hamilton and Edel Doherty, who were in Omagh when the bomb exploded.

Ms Hamilton was working in a shop when she was told by police she needed to evacuate.

Recalling the moment the car bomb detonated, she said: “There was a flash and an immense heat, I put my hands up to my head and I shouted ‘no!’.

“The bomb had exploded. The next thing I knew I was sitting at Shop Electric on the pavement, in the foetal position with my hands still up at the side of my head.

“I don’t know how I got there.

“When I opened my eyes all that I could see was the smoke and debris everywhere and the smell of burning.”

Ms Hamilton suffered serious eye injuries, a fractured hand and multiple shrapnel wounds and still suffers from hearing loss and anxiety.

Her statement said: “I take medication to help with anxiety caused by what I saw that day because what I saw can never be unseen.

“It causes me so much stress and tension that I have chronic pain as I relive that day every day.”

Ms Doherty’s statement said she had been shopping in the town.

After the explosion, she made her way towards the town centre to search for a family member.

She said: “I was approached by a policeman, he asked if I had any first aid training.

“I followed him into Boot’s chemists where he directed me to lift anything which would absorb blood, like nappies or sanitary products.

“I proceeded to run, carrying the products towards the area of the bomb.

“It was chaos. People were screaming, crying and I remember meeting ash-covered faces. I could only see their eyes.

“There was a horrible smell and alarms were ringing constantly.”

Ms Doherty said she found a young boy lying in the street.

She said: “He was lying on his back, he was conscious, his eyes were open but he was not talking.

“I knew his injuries were severe and beyond my skills to fix.

“There was a door lying nearby. We used this as a stretcher.”

She said she placed the boy in the rear of a police Land Rover.

She said: “The sights that I saw that day remain with me to this day.

“They were horrendous, body parts, pieces of flesh, broken bodies and water and blood gushing down the street.

“Casualties with clothes blown off them, the walking wounded wandering around like zombies.

Ian Ferguson, who was working in his family business on the day a massive car bomb devastated the centre of the Co Tyrone town, told the Omagh Bombing Inquiry that his life was changed forever.