500 lines of enquiry so far into fatal Creeslough explosion

A member of An Garda Siochana walks past a newly erected wall at the scene of an explosion at Applegreen service station in Creeslough, Co Donegal. Picture: PA

Gardaí have revealed that 500 lines of enquiry have been actioned as they continue their investigation into the explosion in Creeslough, Co Donegal, which killed 10 people.

On Thursday, gardaí successfully applied to the High Court to extend the time the tragic scene could be preserved under Section 5 of the Criminal Justice Act, 2006. It was the second time an application was granted to extend the preservation of the scene.

The victims of the explosion at the Applegreen service station in the picturesque Donegal town on October 7 ranged in age from five to 59 years. 

In a statement on Thursday evening, gardaí thanked the local community in Creeslough and the general public for their ongoing assistance in the investigation, adding they understand and appreciate the impact on the community and the ongoing inconvenience and disruption caused by the scene preservation. 

The statement that, do date:

• In excess of 500 lines of enquiry have been actioned;
• In excess of 260 statements have been taken, with interviews continuing on a daily basis;
• Numerous items have been recovered from the scene to date, with an amount of these requiring further testing;
• House-to-house enquiries are at an advanced stage, and a canvass of further witnesses remains ongoing;
• A large amount of debris has been removed from the site to a secure location for further examination;
• A Garda Mobile Command Unit remains at the scene, where a large amount of CCTV is being reviewed. 

The investigation is being co-ordinated from Milford Garda Station where an incident room has been set up, led by a Garda senior investigating officer. 

Among the sections involved in the probe are the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI), Garda Analysis Service, Garda Technical Bureau, Garda National Traffic Bureau (GNTB), and Garda Air Support Unit (GASU), together with enquiry teams made up of gardaí attached to local, divisional, regional, and national units.

The force also revealed a Memorandum of Understanding has been agreed between An Garda Síochána, the Health and Safety Authority, and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities to facilitate the sharing of information and resources between the agencies.

"The Garda National Technical Bureau (GNTB) crime scene managers remain on scene assisting the investigation. DNV — Det Norske Veritas — a global company specialising in the investigation and testing of energy systems, remain on site," a Garda statement read, adding that An Garda Síochána’s thoughts continue to be with the families of the deceased, the injured, and their families.