Until yesterday, fatal air crashes were viewed in Cork as something that happened only far away
IT WAS only when the fog lifted that the carnage was revealed.
The aircraft was lying on its back, its wheels pointed skywards and surrounded by the flashing lights of emergency vehicles.
The area around it was streaked with white foam, where firefighters had rushed to contain a blaze which had threatened to engulf the entire aircraft.
For workers and commuters around Cork Airport, it was the eeriest of incidents. The thick fog that enveloped the airport meant they couldn’t see anything, even though the accident had happened just yards away.
“I could hear the plane approach and then there was a bang, and that’s all I heard,” said Conor McCarthy, an employee with TNT. “It seemed a bit unusual. Within a minute, we could hear the emergency services.”
Brian Scanlon, who works with DHL, said it was hard to believe a major tragedy was unfolding. “It was like a scene from a film,” he told reporters. “It’s hard to believe something like that could happen here.”
A passenger who had been due to fly to London said all he could see through the glass of the departures lounge overlooking the runway was a procession of ambulances and fire engines.
What they couldn’t see was a commuter aircraft carrying 12 people, which had set off from Belfast, that had crashed on the runway. The pilot was on his third attempt to land due to the heavy fog that had hindered visibility.
Six people died in the crash. Two, miraculously, walked from the wreckage. Four others were rushed to hospital with serious but not life-threatening injuries.
The city’s airport – located on a hill, just a couple of miles outside the city – has always had a problem with fog, but it has never caused any serious incident.
Airport authorities and employees had always been proud of their exemplary safety record. Accidents were always something associated with far-flung destinations. But yesterday, they were coming to terms with tragedy on their own doorstep.
By late afternoon, a sombre silence had descended.
All flights had been cancelled. The usually bustling departures and arrivals building was empty and echoed with the voices of emergency services personnel.
A few passengers who hadn’t heard the news arrived with their bags, shocked to learn of such an incident on their doorstep.
Over at Cork University Hospital, there was both a sense of relief – that the number of casualties was not greater – and a sense of calm that the situation was was under control.
Relatives of the dead and injured were brought to private rooms, away from the glare of TV cameras and photographers.
Dr Gerry McCarthy, a consultant in emergency medicine, said they had been prepared for more casualties and had been more than able to cope with the six survivors.
He confirmed the injured – five men and one woman – were all recovering. While two had soft tissue injuries, or heavy bruising, the four others had various injuries such as punctured lungs, broken legs and fractures.
Dr Mary Boyd, director of nursing at the hospital, said she was “immensely proud” of the emergency plan which was put into effect after the emergency call came through at 10am. A team from CUH was immediately sent to the crash site to help stabilise and diagnose the injured.
Dr Boyd said staff train regularly for major emergencies. “We are very grateful to the outside agencies and all of the staff within the organisation who worked here today.”
Taoiseach Brian Cowen visited the hospital to sympathise, saying: “I also want to send my best wishes and those of the Government to all of those who survived the crash and are being treated in hospital at present.”
For the relatives, there were awful hours of waiting for news or confirmation of the dead and injured. Some had been waiting at the airport for loved ones or work colleagues. When authorities realised what had happened, they were taken away to a private quarter. The Bishop of Cork and Ross, Bishop John Buckley, who had been in the area, spent the morning with relatives.
“It was a very sad occasion,” he said. “Myself and the chaplain met the relatives at the airport. There was very little we could do except offer our prayerful support. I’m sure the prayers of all people of Cork and indeed Ireland are with the families at this time.”
The difficult job of telling relatives who had died and who survived fell to Garda Supt Charlie Barry. He also praised the work of airport fire staff for extinguishing the fire within four minutes.The work of piecing together what exactly happened, and explaining why the pilot attempted to land in such poor conditions, is getting under way.