Three dead in St Patrick’s Day horror 'crush' in Cookstown, Northern Ireland

Two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old were killed in the incident last night at the Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, County Tyrone. Another teenager is in hospital in a stable condition. The panic is said to have happened when a large crowd tried to get into the venue.

Assistant Chief Constable Mark Hamilton said: "It is a truly awful incident, heart-wrenching for everybody, particularly the families.

"Our preliminary investigations show there was a crush towards the front door of this hotel, and in that crush people seem to have fallen.

"There seemed to be a little bit of struggling going on to get people up off the ground and that might explain also why there was a report of some fighting."

One teenager told the Ulster Herald that he was trapped in a crush of around 100 youngsters.

He said: “It was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced, really frightening. I’m traumatised and after this I don’t know if I ever want to go out again.

“There must have been 20 or 30 who fell first and then everyone else just followed. I’d say there was more than 100 who were in that queue and fell.

“I was pinned down with others on top of me. We must have been there on the ground for 20 minutes unable to move. It was absolutely terrible.

“I didn’t know what was going to happen or how I’d get out. Eventually I was pulled out and thankfully was able to walk away.

“There were ambulances and police all around. I could see them giving one person CPR treatment.”

Another witness told Belfast Live: "A lot of people had congregated outside the Greeenvale and there was a lot of carry on but suddenly all hell broke loose and there was a big panic.

"People were running all over the place. We were trying to get away. Someone was doing CPR on someone on the ground.”

But in the confusion some people said there was no crush, with the event's DJ claiming "a number of young people had become seriously ill".

Police are calling for anyone with footage of the incident not to share it on social media and to hand it in.

Mr Hamilton said: "We are of an open mind... it looks like a crowd of young people, a large crowd, pushing up against the front of the hotel to get in to this event.

"People then seem to have fallen and then got crushed. I would urge you to use that with some caution. Certainly it appears to be at the minute a crush, people have fallen and then been fatally injured.

"We are continuing to interview people who were there to establish the full facts and I would appeal to anyone who witnessed what happened to contact police on 101 ext 52014.

"We need parents to talk to their children this morning and encourage them to come and tell us what happened. Please do not post photographs or videos online. Please share them with the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI).

"We need people to come forward and tell us what happened last night. Three young people are dead, they deserve a full inquiry. Their parents need to know what happened to them."

Six emergency ambulances, four emergency response doctors and four emergency officers attended the scene.

Dr Nigel Ruddell, medical director of the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, said: "At this stage everything points toward it being a tragic accident and our hearts absolutely go out to the families of those involved and everybody who was caught up in this incident last night.

"We did not see anything consistent with any fight or any violent injuries at all."

Mr Ruddell said one of the teenagers was declared dead at the scene, while the other two died after being taken to hospital.

As well as the girl who was in a stable condition in hospital on Monday morning, one other person was treated at the scene for minor injuries.

Parents were urged to collect their children immediately from the hotel on Drum Road after the stampede.

Emma Heatherington, whose two sons, aged 17 and 18, had been at the event, said she "felt sick" when she saw the police appeal.

She said: "My two boys were there so I rang them, shaking, and thankfully got them both.

"They say there was a huge crowd waiting to get into the venue and then a lot of commotion up near the front of the queue, then they said the emergency services arrived and they were all asked to leave.

"They came home very, very shaken with rumours that some people had died.

"While it's not clear exactly what happened, it's the most tragic ending imaginable to what was supposed to be a celebration of St Patrick's Day."

A member of staff from the nearby Glenavon Hotel said he had heard the sirens as emergency services raced to the scene

He said: "There were ambulances passing our entrance. It's scary, and you just hoped everyone was OK. It's very sad to hear what happened."

Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster tweeted that her "thoughts and prayers" were "with everyone impacted by this tonight".

And Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill called it a "parent's worst nightmare".

Ms O'Neill added: "My thoughts and prayers are with the families."

Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley said: "I am deeply sorry to hear that three young people tragically lost their lives at a hotel in Cookstown. They were joining others in what should have been an evening for celebration.

"My thoughts and prayers are with their families and friends at this extremely difficult time.

"I have spoken this morning to ACC Mark Hamilton, of the PSNI, who is leading the investigation alongside the Health and Safety Executive, and I asked to be kept updated.

"I want to thank the police, ambulance and fire services for all that they did last night in responding to this incident."

Additional reporting by Claire Anderson.