The father of two Irish children held hostage in a kindergarten in Cambodia yesterday has spoken of his relief at their safe return.
David McMahon, an aid worker from Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co Clare, spent an anxious six hours waiting for news from his wife, who kept in contact with him by phone from outside the Siem Reap International School as the siege unfolded.
Their children, Daragh, aged four, and Monica, aged three, escaped unscathed in a shoot-out between police and hostage-takers which left a Canadian boy dead.
"As far as I know, both of our children were inside when the shooting started. My son came out first, and my daughter came out about five minutes later," Mr McMahon told The Irish Times.
"They are very young and they're pretty shocked. But they're at home with their mother now. And the school is being very good. They have offered everyone counselling."
The engineer, who is currently working with a charity in Georgia, was looking forward to being reunited with his family today, having boarded a flight from Tbilisi to Cambodia yesterday evening.
His Cambodian wife, Bunly, had been staying in the tourist town of Siem Reap with their children since January.
They had been due to meet up shortly with Mr McMahon in Georgia, where he works for Halo Trust, a British charity specialising in landmine clearance and bomb disposal.
Mr McMahon, who previously worked for eight years with Concern in Cambodia, expressed his gratitude to local police whom he believed had handled the siege "professionally".
He also offered his sympathy to the family of the deceased child.
