A young woman who sustained cuts and blast injuries in the Omagh bombing has given birth to a baby girl at the South Tyrone Hospital in Dungannon. The baby, who has not yet been named, weighed in at 7lb 6oz shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday and was described by staff as a "ray of sunshine". Doctors said that the baby and her 21-year-old mother were both doing well last night.
Four other people who received injuries in the explosion are still detained at the South Tyrone Hospital, all of them described as ill but stable.
A civil servant is receiving treatment for abdomen, arm and limb injuries caused by shrapnel. A 29-year-old married woman sustained injuries to her face, chest and arms, also caused by shrapnel. A 36-year-old married woman sustained injuries to her arms and face and a 21-year-old student has head, neck, back and chest injuries. All of them have undergone several operations for removal of pieces of shrapnel.
Like the 28 people who died in the explosion, the injured are from all backgrounds and age groups. The youngest victim detained in hospital is 13 months.
The Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast is treating some of those with the most severe injuries. These have resulted in loss of limbs, severe facial and body wounds, broken bones and extensive burns. A hospital spokesman said that the injuries sustained by those caught in the explosion were "horrific", adding: "None of these patients will ever be the same again."
Last night, the number of blast victims at the Royal Victoria increased to 27 following the arrival of a patient who had been receiving treatment at another hospital. Those detained at the Royal Victoria comprise 16 women, five men and six children. Their ages range from 13 months to 68 years.
Seven patients at the hospital remain in a critical condition, one is described as very seriously ill, six are ill but stable, 10 are stable and three are satisfactory. Eight of the victims sustained head injuries, seven have broken bones, six have burns and fractures, and four have severe eye injuries. One person has chest injuries.
A 75-year-old woman and a 21year-old woman are ill but stable in Belfast City Hospital, while the Ulster Hospital at Dundonald, Belfast, is treating seven victims of the blast, some of whom will require plastic surgery.
At Altnagelvin Hospital, Derry, 17 people are still receiving treatment - 10 women, a man and six children. Two are described as seriously ill, one is ill and 14 are stable.
Ten patients are still recovering at the Erne Hospital in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, including an eight-year-old boy. All those detained at the hospital are described as stable.