Boy seriously ill after car blaze

The fuel tank of the car exploded injuring the boy

A five-year-old boy badly injured when a car's fuel tank exploded remains in a serious condition in hospital.

Fire crews were called to Temple Park in Galliagh, Londonderry, at about 2200 BST on Monday but the vehicle's fuel tank had exploded before they arrived.

It is thought to have been a runaround vehicle - an untaxed and uninsured car.

Michael McLaughlin was taken to Altnagelvin Hospital with burns to his hands and face. He was later transferred to hospital in Belfast.

The boy's mother, Margaret McNutt, said her son should not have been exposed to this danger.

She said she was angry at the people who had set the car on fire.

"The children are my life - and that is what I live and breathe," said the mother of 10.

"I am calm today. I had a lot of anger in me last night. If I got the person who did this in front of me, God knows what I would do to them."

'Engulfed the child'

Station Officer Kevin Chester said when fire crews were putting out the blaze they were told the child had been injured.

"While crews put out the fire, other firefighters made their way to and retraced the route of the child to his home address," he said.

I have to be honest and say that I'm not surprised that there has been an injury, and thankful that it hasn't been more serious Father Steven McLaughlin

"We discovered a five-year-old boy with quite severe burns to his face and hands and we administered a specialist burns kit to the child and treated him until the arrival of the ambulance service.

"There had actually been a number of children around the vehicle.

"Early indications are that the fuel tank exploded during the course of the fire and engulfed the child."

The parish priest of St Joseph's, Father Steven McLaughlin, said someone was bound to be injured by people speeding in cars in the area.

"I'm shocked that a child is injured - especially a five-year-old child - it is awful," he said.

"But at the same time, I have to be honest and say that I'm not surprised that there has been an injury, and thankful that it hasn't been more serious.

"When you have cars racing around in a heavily populated area and people racing in green areas like this - where they know there are young people out playing - then it is almost inevitable that somebody is going to be seriously injured, or God forbid, someone is going to be killed."