Survivor recounts the carnage of the 1998 Omagh bombing, detailing his efforts to aid victims and the lasting impact.
The inquiry is now hearing from witnesses and seeks information from injured people. The explosion killed twenty-nine people, including a woman pregnant with twins. The inquiry asks if the UK could have prevented it.
Ferguson told the inquiry about that day, recalling he was working at Spick And Span dry cleaners. It was a typical Saturday morning, and the atmosphere outside his shop felt joyful.
After an alert, Ferguson prepared to leave. Then, the bomb exploded nearby, causing clothes rails to fall inside his shop and smoke alarms to go off amidst screaming. Two girls were working with Ferguson, and he led them to safety in his backyard.
Ferguson took his staff to a police officer before returning to his business. He saw the car’s engine still on fire and grabbed two fire extinguishers.
He and another man put out the fire together, and then Ferguson saw the carnage around him. People cried and screamed amidst the pervasive smoke. Ferguson started helping injured people.
He lifted one woman onto a piece of wood and carried her like that down the street. He spent most of the day carrying people to safety.
Ferguson wanted to tell his parents he was safe, but he forgot their phone number in the chaos. He called a friend to contact them instead, and then he went back to help people again, using towels and blankets from his shop’s supplies as bandages.
He met Father Kevin Mullan on the road, who was giving people last rites. Ferguson covered victims with sheets. He returned home that evening exhausted but thankful to be alive, knowing many others never would.
Ferguson said he has battled depression since then, and crowds still make him uneasy. The bombing changed the street forever, and he lost work friends in the blast.
They used to meet after work on Saturdays to talk about their weeks. That never happened after the bombing; too many people were gone.