The next thing, chairs and tables were piled up all around me and a roof beam was slung across my chest, pinning me in my seat John Irvine, casualty

One man who ran from a nearby shop after the blast said, "There was just a great cloud of smoke where the pub was, and soot all over everything. There was nothing left of it."

John Irvine, whose wife was killed in the explosion, described how he was caught in the blast as he sipped a glass of stout.

"The next thing, chairs and tables were piled up all around me and a roof beam was slung across my chest, pinning me in my seat," he said.

"I do not know how long I was there. Then I heard someone shout to bring the hose. The firemen doused me and all around me to stop the fire getting to me.

"I was conscious all the time but I went out after they had freed me."

Volunteers have been working throughout the night helping police and firemen rescue the injured.

Doctors also treated eight people wounded by gunfire during clashes shortly after the blast.

Fighting broke out between Protestant and Catholic crowds, and an army major and two policemen were wounded.

Police suspect the IRA planted the bomb, although it remains a mystery why the attack should have been carried out in a Catholic area.

McGurk's Bar was frequented by Catholics, although it is not believed to have had any connection with the IRA.

One theory is that the bomb went off by mistake. But an Official IRA spokesman in Dublin condemned the attack and said its members had "nothing to do with it".

A similar denial came from the Provisional IRA.

Republicans believe it was planted by loyalist paramilitaries. A backlash has long been feared after the IRA blew up a number of bars in Protestant areas this autumn.

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