More than forty years after Ireland’s deadliest fire in a nightclub, a Dublin court today vindicated the families of the victims who waged a long legal battle to prove that their own people were not to blame for the tragedy which claimed the lives of 48 young people.

The jury found that the malfunctions within it stardust club, in the north of the Irish capital, they caused the fire that led to the death of 48 young people between the ages of 16 and 27, definitively rejecting the case of a criminal act with one of them as the perpetrator.

On February 14, 198142 people died inside the club after inhaling fumes while another six succumbed to their injuries shortly afterwards.

The court concluded that the fire was caused by a fault in the electrical system, while the safety exits were chained shut or obstructed to get there. Thus, many of the victims were trapped inside.

The tragedy shocked Ireland.

Another 200 people were injured and 800 managed to run out of the club in panic to save themselves.

Half of the dead were under 18 years of age.

Relatives of the victims gathered in court today applauded the decision.

Through a committee they set up, they have relentlessly called for decades for a new investigation into the causes of the tragedy, rejecting the conclusion of a “probable” arson attack by one of the young revelers. Finally, a new investigation was launched in April 2023 and over three months more than 370 witnesses testified.

The tragedy “it was one of the most painful moments in our historyPrime Minister Simon Harris emphasized in his announcement.

“For four decades, the families of the victims have borne the weight of this tragedy with unparalleled strength and dignity. The government will review the jury’s decision and recommendations in its entiretys”, he added.

Many victims’ relatives said as they left court that they were waiting for an official apology from the Irish state for taking so long to deliver the verdict.