Several families of those who died in the Creeslough explosion two years ago have met the Minister for Justice to press their case for a public inquiry.
Four men, three women and three children, ranging in age from five to 59, died in the blast that ripped through the Co Donegal village’s Applegreen service station and a nearby apartment block on Friday, October 7th, 2022.
While gardaí continue to investigate the circumstances of the explosion, families of those who died have called for an inquiry into non-criminal factors of the blast.
The families met Helen McEntee at Government Buildings in Dublin along with Ministers Charlie McConalogue and Eamon Ryan.
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Speaking after the meeting, which lasted an hour and a half, the families said the engagement was “very successful”.
Hugh Harper, whose 14-year-old daughter Leona was killed in the explosion, said the three Ministers “took on board all our concerns” and that he felt “a step closer” to the truth.
A solicitor involved in the campaign for an inquiry, Darragh Mackin, said: “The question these families ask themselves is, had this happened in Dublin would they be here two years later asking for an investigation?”
Another solicitor involved in the campaign, Damien Tansey, said: “It warrants, at the very minimum, an inquiry of a kind that will produce appropriate answers, because at the moment, more than two years after the tragedy, there is a vacuum in terms of information, and the bereaved and the countless number of people who were injured have no answers.”
While the cause of the explosion has yet to be formally confirmed by the authorities, it is understood a gas leak is considered a central line of inquiry.
Those who died were Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe; Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan; fashion student Jessica Gallagher; Celtic fan Martin McGill; James O’Flaherty from Sydney; shop worker Martina Martin; carpenter Hugh “Hughie” Kelly; and Leona Harper.
Mr Harper said they had gone through “a living nightmare” since losing their daughter in the explosion.
“Every day we live with this,” Mr Harper said. “There’s more to this story than what meets the eye and for us to grieve properly, for us to make any attempt to move forward, we need all the answers.”
Shauna Gallagher, sister of Jessica Gallagher, said they had a “very successful” meeting with the Ministers and that “nothing has been ruled out in relation to any further investigation”.
“It would answer the questions that we all have; it will answer the questions as to why this has happened.
“The criminal investigation will discuss, yes, what criminal activity, if any was involved. But that doesn’t answer the questions that we have as to why our loved ones are no longer here, or why people have been injured so severely and are no longer living the lives they lived before.”
In a statement, the Government said the three Ministers listened to the personal stories of the Creeslough families and others affected by the tragedy.
“While the Ministers did not rule out a public inquiry, it is important that the Garda investigation, the HSA investigation and the CRU investigation complete their work.” – PA