Hugh Harper, father of Leona Harper, one of the ten victims of the 2022 Creeslough service station explosion, is steadfast in his demand for a public inquiry. Harper believes this is the only mechanism that can compel individuals to provide sworn testimony and yield definitive answers about the incident.
"We are stuck on the 7th October 2022," Harper stated, describing the ongoing grief that paralyzes his family. "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."
Leona Harper was entering a shop at the service station on a Friday afternoon when the explosion occurred, and it was the last time her family saw her alive. Harper expressed a profound sense of failure in his parental duty, stating, "When Leona was born, I was the first to hold her. I made her a promise that I would keep her safe and not let anything happen to her and unfortunately, I couldn't keep that promise."
Despite his loss, Harper feels his daughter's presence and is committed to honoring her memory by pursuing the truth. "Even though Leona is not physically here, I feel she is still with me. And I will continue with the promise, even in death. 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."
The family plans to visit Creeslough on Wednesday to commemorate Leona and the other victims. The explosion claimed the lives of Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan-Garwe, 14-year-old Leona Harper, Hugh Kelly, Jessica Gallagher, Martin McGill, James O'Flaherty, Martina Martin, Catherine O'Donnell, and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan.