Omagh inquiry ‘allowing us to close wound that has been open for 26 years’
Omagh inquiry ‘allowing us to close wound that has been open for 26 years’
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The sister of a young Spanish woman killed in the Omagh bombing has described a public inquiry into the atrocity as “allowing us to close a wound that has been open for 26 years”. Rocio Abad Ramos, 23, from Madrid was among 29 people, including a woman pregnant with twins, who were killed in the dissident republican bomb attack in the Co Tyrone town in 1998.
She had been involved in an exchange trip with young Spanish children to Buncrana in Co Donegal. They had been visiting Omagh on August 15 when the bomb exploded. Her sister Paloma Abad Ramos gave evidence to the Omagh Bombing Inquiry on Tuesday as it started commemorative hearings focusing on the victims and those affected.
Speaking through a translator, Ms Ramos also told the inquiry she hoped it will uncover the truth of what happened, saying she felt the news in Spain at the time had been “restricted”. She thanked those behind the inquiry, saying: “This is the only support that we’ve had for many many years”.
Completing her evidence, she said: “I on behalf of my family want to thank you, the inquiry, for this opportunity because you are allowing us to close a wound that has been open for 26 years”. While Ms Ramos’s evidence was at times emotional, she also recalled how her sister, who had been to Ireland five times, had initially not been impressed with the local food, complaining about seeing butter and peas everywhere.
