Gardaí arrest man and woman over Creeslough explosion that killed 10 people

Gardaí have made two further arrests as part of the criminal investigation under way into the explosion in Creeslough, Co Donegal, that claimed the lives of 10 people in 2022.

The two arrests on Monday, of a man and woman in their 40s, follow the detention of two other people in March. While the first two people detained were released without charge, the investigation has continued and further arrests were anticipated.

“This morning, investigating gardaí have arrested two persons – a man and a woman aged in their 40s – for alleged offences contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997,” the Garda said in a brief statement about the latest two arrests.

“Both are currently detained under the provisions of Section 4 Criminal Justice Act, 1984, at separate Garda stations in county Donegal.”

The investigation into the explosion at a service station, with an apartment block on the campus, was being led by local gardaí from the Donegal area, based at Milford station, and assisted by the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the Garda’s serious crime squad.

The criminal investigation being conducted by the Garda was also being aided by other agencies, including the Health & Safety Authority and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities.

The legislation under which the latest two arrests have been made allows for the detention of suspects for up to 24 hours without charge. The interviews of the two arrested people involve evidence gathered to date being put to the man and woman to add to the Garda file on the case.

Any replies to questions put to the suspects will help inform the decision making by the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) when the file on the case is eventually sent by investigating gardaí. The office of the DPP will decide if criminal charges are warranted and, if so, what those charges should be and against whom.

Ten people died in the explosion at the Applegreen service station on Friday, October 7th, 2022. Those who died in the blast were aged between five and 59.

From the start of the investigation, gardaí were focused on the gas system at the buildings on the site, including an apartment block on what was a small joint residential and retail site.

While there is no suggestion the gas system was tampered with, or any actions were undertaken to deliberately damage it, every aspect of how that system ran and was maintained has been examined by the investigation team.

The two men arrested in March, in what were the first arrests in the case, were interviewed by detectives and questions were put to them about the gas system. It is understood similar question would be put to the people detained on Monday.

The arrests of the two men in March represented the first official confirmation from the Garda the investigation under way into the cause of the explosion was a criminal one. It also confirmed a file, about possible criminal charges, would be sent to the DPP when the inquiry was completed.