Family Mourns Creeslough Explosion Four Years Later, Calls for Public Inquiry

According to BBC UK, four years after the Creeslough explosion, Leona Harper's family remains without answers regarding the events of that day. Leona Harper, who was 14 years old, was last seen going into a shop at a service station in the County Donegal village on a Friday afternoon, which is when the blast occurred on October 7, 2022. Her father, Hugh Harper, stated that the family feels no closer to the truth about his daughter. He mentioned that Leona's coat is still in the hallway of her family home, and the soil from the pitch of her last game remains on her rugby boots, while her bedroom is untouched.

Hugh Harper told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme that the process of seeking answers has felt like torture, noting that one question leads to another. He expressed that the family is still adjusting to returning home to a house that is not the same. The Harpers, alongside other victims and their families, are advocating for a public inquiry into the Creeslough explosion, with Hugh Harper asserting that a public inquiry is the only method to compel testimony under oath and obtain definitive answers. He stated that his first thought upon waking is about Leona and the questions surrounding her final moments, and that their grief feels frozen in time until answers are provided.

In July, a meeting took place in Dublin between families and the Taoiseach, Micheál Martin. The Irish Department of Justice issued a statement to BBC News NI noting that as the fourth anniversary of the Creeslough explosion tragedy nears, Minister Jim O'Callaghan's thoughts are with the community, survivors, and loved ones. The department's statement also indicated that the Creeslough investigation is focused on ensuring that investigative procedures proceed independently and without prejudice to establish all facts.

Gardaí (Irish police) communicated that they are thinking of the victims, their families, and the community on the anniversary, and An Garda Síochána continues to request that anyone possessing information related to the fatal explosion come forward to speak with the investigation team. A spokesperson for Ireland's Director of Public Prosecutions stated that they do not comment on individual cases.

The explosion resulted in the deaths of 10 individuals, who included four men, three women, two teenagers, and a five-year-old girl, all from the village or nearby areas. The victims named were Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe; Catherine O'Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan; Jessica Gallagher; Martin McGill; James O'Flaherty; Martina Martin; Hugh Kelly; and 14-year-old Leona Harper.