Creeslough father marks fourth anniversary of daughter's death with renewed call for public inquiry

Four years after an explosion tore through a County Donegal service station and killed ten people, the father of the youngest victim has said his family remains trapped in grief, still searching for answers about what happened to his teenage daughter.

Leona Harper, 14, was one of those who died in the blast at the Applegreen service station in Creeslough on 7 October 2022. She had travelled to the village for a sleepover and was heading into the shop to buy ice cream when the explosion occurred.

Her father, Hugh Harper, said the family home still bears the traces of the girl they lost. Leona's coat remains hanging in the hallway. Soil from the pitch where she played her final rugby match is still caked on her boots. Her bedroom has been left exactly as it was.

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme, Mr Harper described the unrelenting anguish of living without a full account of the events that claimed his daughter's life. He said attempts to piece together what happened lead only to confusion and dead ends.

"You are trying to establish answers yourself, but it takes you down a maze of rabbit holes," he said. "One question leads to another and it just feels like torture and torment."

He added that returning home each evening to a house that no longer feels the same has been a constant struggle for the family, who are still trying to adjust to a reality they never anticipated. "You never expect something like this to come to your door as a parent, and when it does, and it was so sudden, it is very hard," he said.

No official explanation has yet been provided for the cause of the explosion, and despite a number of arrests, no one has been charged in connection with the blast. The investigation remains active, with Gardaí (Irish police) having sent a second file to the Director of Public Prosecutions in April, in addition to the primary file forwarded to prosecutors last September.

A commemoration service is due to be held on Wednesday in Creeslough to remember the ten victims of the disaster, which devastated the small community and drew national attention to the village in the north-west of Ireland.

The Harper family, along with other victims' relatives, has been campaigning for a public inquiry into the explosion. In July, a meeting took place in Dublin between the families and Taoiseach Micheál Martin, as they pressed for a formal mechanism to compel testimony under oath.

Mr Harper said a public inquiry is the only way to get definitive answers. "We are steadfast on that — a public inquiry is the only tool to compel people to be questioned under oath and get definitive answers," he said. He recalled that Leona went to Creeslough on a Friday afternoon and entered a shop — the last time her family saw or heard from her alive.

He described how the family's mourning has been suspended, unable to move forward without knowing the full circumstances of her final moments. "Every day, we grieve for our little girl — we are stuck on the 7th October 2022," he said. "When I get up in the morning, the first thought I have is about Leona and the questions around her last moments. Until we have answers, our grief is frozen in time."

Mr Harper said the family will travel to Creeslough on Wednesday to remember their daughter and the other victims. Reflecting on Leona's birth, he said he was the first to hold her and made a promise to keep her safe. He acknowledged that he could not keep that promise, but said he feels her presence still with him.

"I will continue with the promise, even in death," he said. "I will do my best to protect her name and get to the bottom of exactly what happened in Creeslough that day. I will leave no stone unturned."

In a statement to BBC News NI, a spokesperson for the Irish Department of Justice said Minister Jim O'Callaghan's thoughts remain with the families, loved ones, survivors and the wider community of Creeslough as the fourth anniversary approaches. The spokesperson said the focus of the investigation is on ensuring the investigative processes are allowed to proceed independently and without prejudice so that the full facts can be established.

Gardaí also said that "the victims, their families and the community are in our thoughts" on the anniversary. The force renewed its appeal for anyone with information about the fatal explosion to come forward and speak to the investigating team.

The Creeslough blast, which caused extensive damage to the roof of the service station and left the local community reeling, remains one of the worst tragedies to hit the region in recent memory. For the families of the ten victims, the passage of four years has brought no closure — only a deepening sense of frustration and a determination to see the truth uncovered.