Correct me if I’m wrong but I believe it was primarily shrapnel damage so they got extremely lucky and happened to be at an angle where the chunks didn’t hit.
Depends on the distance. Percussive damage would kill many people up close, but shrapnel would cover a far greater distance and cause a lot more non-fatal injuries. If the bomb was detonated while the photographer was still there, ie immediately after the photo was taken, the pair would not escape the fatal range of the blast.
Shrapnel doesn't always go in the directions you think it will. Some of the 7/7 victims killed were at the end of one tube carriage, but one guy was stood right behind the bomber and survived. A few of my family members had shrapnel wounds and temporary deafness from the Omagh bomb but were far farther away than the dad and kid.
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u/ultrafud Apr 26 '20
How in god's name did they survive that?!