Gemma Heaney, a friend of 14-year-old Creeslough victim Leona Harper, has launched an online petition opposing plans to redevelop the site of the fatal explosion in Co Donegal.
"My friend was one of the many victims tragically lost in the Cresslough Explosion," Heaney wrote in her post on Change.org.
"Their memory, along with those of all other victims, deserves to be honored and remembered.
"The site where this disaster took place is currently planned for redevelopment.
"We believe that this is not only disrespectful to the memory of those who died there but also a missed opportunity to create a space for reflection and remembrance."
Heaney said the explosion has left an "indelible mark" on the local community and said it is crucial to learn from such events and prevent similar tragedies from taking place in the future.
"Instead of rebuilding on this site, we propose that it be turned into a memorial park dedicated to the victims," Heaney said.
"This would provide families with a place where they can pay their respects and remember their loved ones in peace.
"We implore you to reconsider your plans for redevelopment and instead choose a path that honors those who were lost in this tragedy."
The petition, launched in March 2024, has a target of 1,500 signatures and has currently received 1,381 signatures at the time of writing.
The petition was launched the same month that the Creeslough Village Plan was published.
The Plan notes: "On 7th October 2022, an unthinkable tragedy struck Creeslough.
"As a result, ten people sadly lost their lives, others suffered serious injuries, trauma, loss of property and livelihood.
"Acknowledging the tragedy and the impact on the families of those involved, the local community and everyone affected by those tragic events, Donegal County
Council (DCC), the Creeslough Work Group (CWG) and the Creeslough Community Association (CCA), supported by Arup, began a process to prepare a Village Plan to outline a means to renew, regenerate, and ultimately heal in the
aftermath of the tragedy."
The Plan outlines the construction of a community hub, a multi-purpose community field, a traffic management and car parking facility, a community garden, and associated ancillary works.
An Garda Síochána is still investigating the explosion at the Applegreen Service Station in Creeslough, Co Donegal that killed ten people and led to the hospitalization of eight more people on October 7, 2022.
Jessica Gallagher, 24, Robert Garwe, 50, his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, Leona Harper, 14, Hugh Kelly, 59, Martina Martin, 49, Martin McGill, 49, Catherine O'Donnell, 39, her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, and James O'Flaherty, 48, all died in the blast.
In their latest update, Gardaí said on May 28 that two people who had been arrested the day before had been released without charge.
Gardaí made their first arrests in the scope of their investigation in March, though those two people were subsequently released without charge.
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