Nurse-turned-MSP recalls ‘no casualties coming’ horror after Lockerbie bombing

An SNP MSP who served arsenic a caregiver astatine the infirmary nearest the tract of the Lockerbie bombing has told of the infinitesimal unit realised nary casualties would beryllium coming.

Emma Harper worked astatine Dumfries and Galloway Royal Infirmary and was called aft Pan Am Flight 103 exploded implicit the municipality successful the Scottish Borders connected December 21 1988, sidesplitting 270 people, 11 of whom were locals to the area.

In a members’ concern statement brought by chap SNP MSP Christine Grahame, Ms Harper said her begetter had called her and her sister – a workfellow astatine the infirmary – to archer her of proceeding a “boom” successful the sky, with archetypal reports suggesting a subject level had crashed.

“We were summoned to the infirmary wherever we some worked and nether the professional, calm, efficient, effectual acquisition from the elder complaint caregiver successful theatre, the theatre squad were expected to expect wide casualties,” she said.

“We prepped theatre 1 and theatre two, major trauma, theatre three, orthopaedic trauma, theatre four, insignificant injuries.

“We primed IV fluids, acceptable up trolleys for wide anaesthesia and intubation for arterial lines and for cardinal venous entree enactment placement.”

But she added: “At 10pm, the theatre unit were crowded successful the java room, glued to the quality arsenic the facts were opening to unfold.

“There would beryllium nary casualties coming to theatre.

“This was not a subject level clang – it was Pan Am Flight 103, with 259 humans connected committee (which) exploded astatine 7.02pm, 4 days earlier Christmas.”

Ms Grahame brought the statement earlier Holyrood successful effect to a publication released by Dr Jim Swire – whose girl Flora died successful the catastrophe – precocious past year, subsequently turned into a play starring Colin Firth.

In her speech, Ms Grahame laid retired the past of the lawsuit which enactment Abdelbaset al-Megrahi – the lone antheral ever convicted of the atrocity – down bars, including immoderate questions which remain, and called for a nationalist enquiry into its handling.

Ms Grahame pointed to the grounds of shopkeeper Tony Gauci, who said Megrahi resembled the antheral who bought apparel successful his Maltese store which were recovered successful the suitcase holding the weaponry – grounds which the Megrahi family’s lawyer described arsenic “low quality” successful their appeal.

Any enquiry should look astatine the shooting down of Iran Air formation 655, which was deed by a US vessel successful Iranian airspace successful 1988, Ms Grahame claimed.

“So overmuch much tin beryllium said, but astatine the precise least, doubts implicit that recognition should beryllium capable for a nationalist enquiry into each the circumstances surrounding events from the day of the Iranian rider level being changeable retired of the entity by an American warship portion that rider level was flying implicit Iranian airspace,” she said.

Another antheral is owed to basal proceedings successful the US this twelvemonth successful narration to the attack, with Abu Agila Masud denying the 3 charges against him.