POLICE IN NORTHERN Ireland have revealed that there were 619 people in the queue or carpark at the hotel in Cookstown where three teenagers died following a crush on St Patrick’s Day. 

Lauren Bullock (17), Morgan Barnard (17) and Connor Currie (16) were all killed in the crush outside the disco at the Greenvale Hotel in Co Tyrone.

The PSNI said out of the 619 people identified in the queue or car park on the evening of 17 March, 267 of those have now been interviewed by detectives from the PSNI’s Major Investigation Team.

Detective Chief Superintendent Raymond Murray said the PSNI will continue to interview others over the next few days but are aware that “this continues to be an extremely traumatic time for all of those who were at the Greenvale Hotel and witnessed the terrible events of that night”.

“Over 100 people attended the dedicated room at Burnavon Arts Centre and spoke to officers who are specially trained in interviewing young people.

“This facility has now closed and instead we are speaking to students at their respective schools. We are working closely with the local principals to accommodate this,” Murray said in a statement this evening. 

The Greenvale Hotel in Cookstown, Co. Tyrone PA Wire / PA Images PA Wire / PA Images / PA Images

As part of the investigation, PSNI detectives are using the Major Incident Public Portal which allows people to upload mobile phone footage and images of the evening.

“We have been downloading mobile phone footage from people at the scene by using one of our Cyber Support Vehicles in Cookstown.

Murray concluded by renewing the PSNI’s appeal for anyone who has not yet contacted it to come forward and “work with police to help build an accurate picture of what happened that night”.

 I would again reassure anyone with concerns, the focus of our investigation is not the age of people who were at the event – it is about trying to find answers for the families of the three teenagers who tragically died.

On Tuesday it emerged that the first police officers on the scene that night “withdrew to await further police support”. 

The PSNI later announced that the initial police response will be subject to independent scrutiny and referred the circumstances and the nature of the actions of the first officers arriving at the scene to the Police Ombudsman.