Victims of Creeslough tragedy remembered one year on

Image source, PA

Image caption, Tributes have been paid to the 10 victims
At a glance
  • Members of a small community where 10 people died in an explosion last year have marked the anniversary with a memorial service and special Mass
  • Only about 400 people live in Creeslough, in the Republic of Ireland
  • A priest told the service the community was encouraged by messages of support from around the country and beyond
  • It is still unclear what caused the blast
  • Author, Kevin Sharkey
  • Role, 大象传媒 News NI reporter

Thousands of people have come together in Creeslough, County Donegal, to remember the 10 people who died in an explosion a year ago.

The families and relatives of those who lost their lives were joined at a memorial service close to the scene of the blast.

To mark the anniversary, just after 15:00 local time - the time the devastating explosion happened - the crowd fell silent.

Bereaved families held on to each other as they reflected on their loss and remembered their loved ones.

Image source, Garda S铆och谩na

Image caption, Top row left to right: Shauna Flanagan Garwe and her father Robert Garwe, Leona Harper, Hugh Kelly, Jessica Gallagher. Bottom row left to right: Martin McGill, James O'Flaherty, Martina Martin, Catherine O'Donnell and son James Monaghan

The crowd lined the main road passing the scene of the tragedy, consoling grieving relatives and offering them support and comfort.

A bell tolled 10 times in memory of each of the victims.

Parish priest Fr John Joe Duffy said the community was encouraged by messages of support from around the country and beyond, including a personal message from Taoiseach (Irish prime minister) Leo Varadkar.

Image source, PA

Image caption, Fr John Joe Duffy addressed the commemoration service on Saturday

A special Mass was also held on Saturday night.

The blast happened at the Applegreen service station in Creeslough on 7 October 2022.

It destroyed the village's only shop and a section of an apartment block.

The victims - four men, three women, two teenagers and a five-year-old girl - were from the village or surrounding areas.

The service station remains boarded up as police continue to try to determine the cause of the blast.