FATHER'S DAY BOMB; 'My baby! My God, my baby!' - even an unborn child

The shocking screams of a heavily-pregnant woman rose from the terror and mayhem of the bomb-shattered shopping centre.

"My baby! My God, my baby!"

The woman had landed on her stomach among the broken glass, rubble and flames after being hurled FIFTEEN FEET into the air by the force of the blast.

Last night the mother's condition was described as "serious" by doctors at Manchester's Royal Infirmary who were carefully monitoring the health of her unborn baby.

As more and more frightened and bleeding victims were rushed through the hospital's doors, consultant Kevin Mackway-Jones sped to the woman's side.

"She is in a very, very shocked condition," he said. "She was thrown several yards by the force of the blast and landed on her stomach.

"The suggestion was that she was going into labour, but that is not the case now."

Hospital chaplain the Rev Adrian Rhodes looked around in horror at the dazed and injured who filled the hospital's corridors.

"I wish whoever planted the bomb could see the little old lady I've just been talking to," he said.

"She does not know where she is, who to speak to or what to do.

"She is completely and utterly shocked."

But it was the number of injured children that most enraged the clergyman.

"It's no fun seeing injured, frightened children," he said.

Royal Infirmary spokesman Richard Emmott said: "Within five minutes of the explosion, people were arriving in police wagons, taxis, private cars and walking in off the street. People are very clearly shocked by what has happened, but the majority seem surprisingly calm."

The blast, in the packed precinct on the busiest day of the week, came as many Saturday shoppers were frantically trying to make their way to safety.

Shop assistant Rachel Reeves, 18, had been working in the W H Smith's branch in the Arndale Centre when the bomb warning came through.

"We got a warning to evacuate the whole building and got as far as King Street when the bomb went off," she said.

"It seemed so unreal because there was no panic.

"People were crying because they were shocked, but most were walking away quite calmly.

"People were queuing at telephone boxes to phone home. One girl told us that a policemen had told her to leave the city as soon as possible, so we did."

News photographer Malcolm Croft was 400 yards from the Arndale Centre when the bomb went off.

"It was a big blast. All the windows in the shops were blown out and I saw people hit by flying glass," he said.

"There was a lot of screaming and panic. People began rushing for shelter and shielding their faces.

"A police helicopter had been hovering over us with the loud speaker message warning us to keep away from the Arndale Centre.

"The blast happened as the area was being cleared."

Kimberley Heath was walking into a pub in the city centre.

"The pub just shook. There was glass everywhere, smoke and all sorts in the air," she said.

"The windows at the top must have blown out.

"There was a little girl whose head was all bleeding. She had glass sticking into her head."

Television engineer Mike Davison, 46, who lives in Dortmund, Germany, but was on a holiday trip, had just arrived in Manchester by coach as the bomb went off.

"The bus was just passing some very high buildings near the bus station," he said.

"They were old buildings and they seemed to shake visibly. I thought they were going to come down on top of the coach. It was a terrific bang and there was dust flying everywhere."

Manchester Fire Brigade spokesman Gary O'Neil said: "I was at home four miles from the city centre at the time and I heard the explosion.

"The city centre has a lot of damage. At the Arndale centre, the heart of the shopping area, the whole side of a gable end has been blown away.

"Several small fires have broken out as a result of the explosion." Back at the Royal Infirmary staff were flooding in to help the frightened and the injured.

Consultant Mr Mackway-Smith said the staff had been fantastic.

"We had no problem at all with staffing. It's often a problem in this situation keeping staff away.

"They all coped extremely well."

Mr Mackway-Jones said that a number of children had minor lacerations but none had been admitted.

He said: "Children cope with shock quite well although obviously everyone is upset at the moment.""

A number of the walking wounded have now been discharged.

Some were still being X-rayed and are having glass taken out of their wounds. Mr Mackway-Jones said that mercifully no limbs had been lost and he believed nobody was trapped.

Four medical teams were still searching the area.

He said all the casualties were injured as police, acting on the bomb warning, tried to move people away from the Arndale Centre when the bomb went off.

None of the casualties have life-threatening injuries but four are confirmed as having serious spinal conditions. Among the minor injuries were children and babies, including a 15-month-old boy.

A number of Italian soccer fans, who were in the city for Euro 96, were injured by flying glass as they sat in a pub just 100 yards from the blast.

One woman who understands the hell the pregnant mum is going through is 17-year-old Samantha Herbert.

Just months ago Samantha was battling to save the life of her own unborn baby, Sarah, after IRA thugs blew her up at South Quay in London's Docklands.

Yesterday she wept for the unnamed mum in Manchester's Royal Infirmary.

"I know what that poor woman is going through," she said. "I remember being thrown to the ground and screaming 'Someone help my baby'.

"I was rushed to hospital and told everything was okay but for weeks afterwards I'd wake in the middle of the night thinking my baby was dead.

"Each time the baby stopped kicking I thought that was it.

"I was rushed back to hospital more than ten times for emergency checks.

"But in the end I gave birth to a healthy baby girl.

"This other pregnant woman could have the same trauma that I did.

"But she must be brave. My baby beat the IRA bastards and her baby can too."

Copyright 1996 MGN LTD
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.