Children injured in sectarian clashes in North Belfast

An eight-year-old girl suffered a shrapnel wound to her back and an 11-year-old girl was treated for shock following an explosion…

Two young girls were recovering in hospital today after being injured in an explosion as sectarian clashes intensified in North Belfast.

An eight-year-old girl suffered a shrapnel wound to her back and an 11-year-old girl was treated for shock following an explosion that police said they believed was caused by some form of blast bomb thrown by loyalists.

Nadine Quigley, 11, described the blast bomb explosion at her feet and said: "I'm not safe anywhere."

Recovering at her home on the Newington Street peace line, Nadine showed the spot outside the house where the device blew up, shattering the back window of a parked van. She also described regular attacks from the loyalist side of the interface and said she had been blasted off a chair nearly a month ago.

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"I'm not safe anywhere, I'm not safe in my house when they are throwing blast bombs over, and I'm not safe in the street," she said.

However she insisted that she, her mother and sister would stay put.

"They're not going to get us out. They are trying their hardest but we're determined to stay. I don't want to let them put me out of my house," she said.

Northern Ireland Secretary Dr John Reid said those who threw the device at the girls were "quite simply, scum".

He said: "They bring disgrace on all of us in Northern Ireland. They need to be captured, prosecuted and locked up where their poisonous sectarian hatred can do no damage".

The two girls were hurt as rival factions continued to throw fireworks at each other and engaged in sporadic stoning at several spots in north Belfast.

At the height of the trouble, which started in the afternoon and continued into the night, about 100 nationalists and 50 loyalists were involved at several flashpoints.

RUC officers in full riot gear were called in to separate the factions and to keep them apart.

Earlier, a man was injured when a gunman opened fire from the nationalist side of the Limestone Road divide.

The victim, a Protestant, was taken to hospital where he underwent surgery for a bullet wound in the chest. He is reported to be in a stable condition.

Asst Chief Constable for Belfast Mr Alan McQuillan said that although police had found the firing point for the shooting on the nationalist side, it was too early to say which organisation was responsible.

Democratic Unionist Party MP for North Belfast Mr Nigel Dodds accused the IRA of being behind the gun attack and called on Dr Reid to declare its ceasefire over.

PA