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7/7 inquests: devastation of King's Cross station The force of the blast in the King's Cross bomb attack in London on 7/7 was so great that six of those killed were blown on to the tracks, the inquest heard. telegraph.co.uk |
7/7 inquest: Off-duty policewoman saved my life, says survivor Martine Wiltshire pays tribute at 7/7 inquest to officer who helped her tie tourniquet around her injured legA woman who lost both her legs in the Aldgate bomb on 7 July 2005 paid tribute today to an off-duty police officer who climbed into the destroyed carriage and helped her to tie a tourniquet around one of her injured limbs, almost certainly saving her life.Martine Wiltshire, nee Wright, was sitting a few feet away from the bomber Shehzad Tanweer on the Circle line train when he detonated his bomb in the tunnel between Liverpool Street and Aldgate stations, killing seven commuters.She told the inquest for the 52 victims of the four 7/7 bombings that she was sitting at the back of the train's second carriage when the bomb went off. The blast twisted her body towards the metal rear wall of the carriage and trapped her legs under debris."I couldn't see a lot," she said. "I just remember looking up and seeing the metal from the end of the carriage being over my legs."Sitting next to her had been a man, Andrew Brown, who she became aware was being electrocuted, while a young woman at her feet, Kira Mason, was clearly in great pain and screaming that her arm was trapped.She watched through a hole that had been blown in the carriage wall, she told the inquest, as a large number of unharmed passengers, carrying their bags, evacuated the train.Some time afterwards an off-duty police officer, Elizabeth Kenworthy, had made her way into the bombed second carriage from the third."She gave me a tourniquet and she told me to wrap it around my left leg," said Wiltshire. "I assume, and I know in my head, that she saved my life."She had later been told that she had lost up to 75% of her blood as a result of her injuries.Andrew Brown, who had travelled from his home in Liverpool on the morning of 7 July for a meeting, said he regained consciousness after the explosion to find himself having been flung backwards in his seat and with the sensation of being powerfully electrocuted. After some time the current stopped, he said, and he tried to get up, but fell forward into the debris in the centre of the aisle."I managed to regain my seat and lifted my right leg to find out why I had fallen over, and my leg had gone," Brown said.He too recalled being helped by Kenworthy, who he said had arrived about 20 minutes after the explosion. "Because of the debris her ability to move into the carriage was severely limited, but she attended to the people in the immediate vicinity as much as she could. She was talking to us and engaging with us, telling us to stay awake."Aware that he was losing blood, he asked the officer if she had anything he could use as a tourniquet, he said. She removed her jacket and helped him tie it around her leg.Brown was an in-patient at the Royal London hospital at Whitechapel for two months after the blast, and had since praised the care he received, said Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquests.Kira Mason told the court in a statement that she had had her left arm amputated to the elbow and was still suffering from a number of injuries to her face and limbs.Wiltshire spent nine months in hospital and had "quite a few major operations", she said, but she has learned to walk again and hopes to compete for Britain in the women's seated volleyball at the 2012 Paralympics.Lady Justice Hallett wished her well, remarking that it was "strange for you" that the decision granting the Olympics and Paralympics to London had been taken the day before the 7 July bombings. "Your story is truly inspirational – the triumph of human spirit over dreadful adversity," she said.The court also heard distressing accounts of the injuries suffered by other victims. At one point the coroner paused to warn the parents of Carrie Taylor, who were in court, that they would hear particularly vivid details of the aftermath of the blast. The coroner has already heard that Taylor suffered serious internal injuries and died before she could be evacuated.The inquests continue.7 July London attacksLondonEsther Addleyguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |
Anderson will make Ashes - Flower England coach Andy Flower says bowler James Anderson is winning his battle to be fit for the start of the Ashes series in Australia on 25 November. news.bbc.co.uk |
Friend of Prince Charles killed in helicopter crash Charles Sisted, head of Guards Polo Club, among three dead after crash in Mourne mountains of Northern IrelandA personal friend of Prince Charles is one of three people who were killed in a helicopter crash in Northern Ireland at the weekend.Clarence House has confirmed that Charles Stisted died in the accident in the Mourne mountains on Saturday. He was chief executive of the exclusive Guards polo club in Windsor and was well known to the prince, the Duchess of Cornwall and Princes William and Harry.Stisted, 47, was one of three people killed when the helicopter they were travelling in crashed in the remote site in County Down.A Clarence House spokeswoman said: "The Prince of Wales, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Prince Harry are all shocked and deeply saddened by this terrible tragedy."Their Royal Highnesses' thoughts and prayers are with the families of those killed at this dreadful time."It is thought the helicopter was returning to England after a shooting expedition.The Agusta helicopter was travelling from St Angelo airport in County Fermanagh and crashed at around 4pm at the Leitrim Lodge picnic area near Hilltown.Mountain rescue teams, the coastguard and other emergency services were alerted when a member of the public reported seeing an aircraft in distress, but it quickly became clear that no one had survived the impact.After a lengthy recovery operation police have now confirmed that the pilot and his two passengers were killed.South Down MP, Margaret Ritchie, said: "The local community is in absolute shock, but their thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the victims. What should have been a happy occasion has ended in tragedy."The accident was being investigated by the air accidents investigation branch of the Department for Transport.Democratic Unionist assembly member Jim Wells, who lives in the Mournes, said: "South Down has been hit by tragedies of this type over the years. It looks like we have had another accident which has led to multiple deaths."Wells said he saw the helicopter before it crashed."There was a very unusual noise coming from the engine. I don't know if that is in any way related to the tragedy but certainly it would seem that about half an hour later the helicopter came down at the other end of the Mournes," he said.The Mournes area is internationally renowned for its picturesque scenery. The mountain range is designated as an area of outstanding natural beauty.The highest mountain , Slieve Donard, is nearly 3,000 feet high.Northern IrelandAir transportPrince CharlesMonarchyHenry McDonaldguardian.co.uk © Guardian News & Media Limited 2010 | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds guardian.co.uk |