Two men, 50s, arrested in connection with fatal Creeslough explosion 

The explosion occurred at an apartment block and garage in the Donegal town on October 7, 2022. File picture: Joe Dunne

Two men have been arrested in connection with the investigation into an explosion in Creeslough in which 10 people died in 2022.

The explosion occurred at an apartment block and a nearby Applegreen service station in the Donegal town at at 3.20pm October 7, 2022.

An investigation into the explosion, involving local gardaí in Donegal Division, supported by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI), the Health & Safety Authority (HSA), and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU), and other agencies is ongoing. 

The probe has seen gardaí open more than one 1,000 lines of enquiry to date, and collect hundreds of statements.

In an update on Friday, gardaí said they had arrested two males, both aged in their 50s, for alleged offences contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.

They are currently detained under the provisions of section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984 at separate Garda stations in County Donegal.

Four men, three women and three young people, ranging in age from five to 59, died in the blast. All of the victims were from the area around Creeslough.

They were: Catherine O'Donnell, 39, and her son James Monaghan, 13; Robert Garwe, 50, and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe; Leona Harper, 14; Jessica Gallagher, 24; James O'Flaherty, 48; Martin McGill, 49; Martina Martin, 49, and Hugh Kelly, 59.