Hi °C | Lo °C Norwegian teenagers visiting Northern Ireland have spoken of their shock at the bomb and gun attacks carried out by extremist Anders Breivik in their country.
A team of young footballers, taking part in the annual Milk Cup tournament for Norway's Revo Express side, said the Utoya island and Oslo bomb attacks were "terrible".
The boys - aged between 14 and 15 - heard the news as it emerged on Friday, just hours before they were due to leave Norway.
They and their families travelling with them have been gripped by the news coverage of the tragedy as it unfolds in their country.
While names of the victims have not yet been released, it is not thought the boys or their families know any of the dead.
Speaking after his team played Plymouth Argyle in Coleraine yesterday, Mathias Berntsen (15), from Aamli in southern Norway, said: "It was terrible hearing the news that one man had killed so many, it's horrible."
The teenager said that his team mates were coping with the shocking news, and had played in a black strip and wore armbands as a mark of respect for fellow countrymen and women who lost their lives at the weekend.
Parents travelling with the team also spoke of their shock.
Kgell Sarnnas, whose 15-year-old son Eirik is in the squad, said: "We were shocked on Friday afternoon when we saw it on the news, it was bad, and I think it's unbelievable that has happened in Norway."
He said while the boys "have taken it okay", the parents have been trying to shield them from the more gruesome details of the massacre.
"We tell them things but we try to hold them away from it," he said.
"We must tell them, it's a real thing that's happened in Norway, so we must tell them what's happened. I think they're okay, but it's unbelievable."
He also spoke about the warm welcome and sympathy they have received since arriving in Northern Ireland.
Referring to the one-minute silence which was held at the beginning of yesterday's match, he said: "It gave me goosebumps. It was very good for the Milk Cup to do that."
Team coach, Ryan McKnight, said while the news had hit the group "like a brick in the face", they are coping well.
"I think this group is indicative of how the Norwegian government wants the people in general to react, for most people to carry on as normal."
