The grieving parents of a 14-year-old girl who was killed in the Creeslough explosion while buying an ice-cream have thanked the digger driver who refused to stop looking until they found her body.
Talented rugby player Leona Harper has stopped off at the shop for the treat on her way to a sleepover with her friend. It was 24 hours after the explosion before her body was found under the debris. Her devastated parents, Donna and Hugh, described their only daughter as a "gem" as they try to come to grips with the shocking tragedy.
Hugh told Co Donegal radio station Highland Radio: "“Leona was a little gem, very outgoing, very friendly, a lovely person, very quiet, laid-back, loved life, loved the outdoors, walking through fields, going fishing, spending time with friends, going to car shows."
Read more: The 10 people killed including five-year-old girl and two teenagers
He added: “She was very special, very, very special. She’s going to be very sorely missed.”
Leona’s mother Donna thanked the digger driver who found her body after a 24-hour search.
“I didn’t personally know the digger driver – a massive thank you to him because he just didn’t stop until he got her,” she said.
“Twenty-four hours before we got her and she was the last taken out. The doctors and everything, everybody was amazing the way they treated the whole scene from start to finish with nothing more than respect.”
An Garda Siochana, continues to investigate the cause of the blast in a building complex that included the service station and convenience store and residential apartments. It is being treated as a “tragic accident”. A gas leak is one theory, it is believed.
The aunt of another of the 10 victims, 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher, has spoken of the young fashion designer’s pride and love for Creeslough. Dolores Gallagher said her niece was due to start a new job in Belfast on Monday.
“On behalf of the entire family, we wanted to thank very much the neighbours in the locality in Creeslough who have been unbelievably kind and generous with their offers of help and the tactful way that everyone has been so supportive, including those other poor people who have been bereaved or have injured family members and loved ones and still managed to find the courage and strength to make contact to offer condolences,” she told Highland Radio.
“So, on behalf of the entire family, I’d like to thank everyone for that.
“Jessica was, as the photograph shows, the most beautiful young woman. She was very artistic, she qualified as a fashion designer. She was to start, finally, her job as a fashion designer today."
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