Inquests were completed yesterday on eight more victims of the Omagh bombing. Mr Ian Robert Short, the son of Mrs Veda Short (56), a shopworker, told her inquest that since coming upon her lying on a sheet in Market Street minutes after the explosion, "I still see all the people who are screaming and the blood pouring out of them and my mother lying there".
Mrs Short, who had four children, had seen her new grandchild born that day, just hours before going to work in Watterson's drapers' shop where she had been employed for over 20 years.
Medical evidence was given that Mrs Short was pronounced dead after being examined on arrival at hospital, and the post-mortem concluded that death was due to multiple injuries caused by the explosion.
The coroner, Mr John Leckey, expressing sympathy to the family, said he was moved by Mr Short's evidence and could understand his state of mind. "I get the impression he feels now that life is without purpose, but I hope that the passage of time will allow him and his family to resume some normality of life," Mr Leckey said.
Mrs Philomena Skelton (39), of Drumquin, Co Tyrone, died in S.D. Kells clothes shop, close to the site of the explosion. Like several other victims she had gone into the town to buy uniforms for her children who were returning to school in two weeks' time.
Her husband, Mr Kevin Ignatius Skelton, told the inquest they had been married for 20 years. He had been in town shopping with her on the day of the bomb. "Phil went into Kells's shop while I went into the shop beside it," he said.
Only about 30 seconds later the explosion took place and the front of the shop came in. He ran out and found his wife lying face down just inside the door of Kells's shop. Medical evidence was that she had suffered multiple shrapnel wounds.
Ms Debra-Ann Cartwright (20), from Omagh, the daughter of a serving RUC officer, was also in Market Street when the car bomb exploded there. Dr Vishwesh Rao, of the casualty department at Tyrone County Hospital, gave evidence of carrying out emergency resuscitation on her when she arrived in hospital, but said that all measures failed and at 3.30 p.m. he pronounced her dead.
Mr Malcolm Fegan, her boyfriend for more than five years, who gave evidence of identifying her body, said he last saw her at the beauty salon in High Street, where she worked, at about midday on the day of the bomb.
Ms Ann McCombe (48), of Omagh, was one of three employees of Watterson's clothes shop who died. She had two sons aged 18 and 22 and had celebrated her silver wedding anniversary two months previously.
Her husband, Stanley, said she was born at Ballindrait, Co Donegal. He had known her for a total of 30 years. They were married in June 1973.
Ms Madeleine McElhatton, who worked in High Street, Omagh, told how police had brought word of a bomb scare "somewhere near the courthouse" and she and others were moved down Market Street and stood waiting for about 20 minutes near a newsagent's.
While there she noticed several people she knew, including Veda Short and Ann McCombe. Then the bomb exploded.
Ms Elizabeth Imelda Rush (57), known to her friends as Libbi, died at the pine and giftware shop she owned in Market Street, which was almost directly opposite the point where the bomb exploded.
For the Rush family, Mr Michael Mansfield QC, said her husband, Mr Laurence Rush, was not present at the inquest. It was far too painful for him to sit and listen to the material presented there.