Man, 60s, arrested in connection with Creeslough explosion
The scene of the explosion where 10 people lost their lives. File Picture: Brian Lawless/PA
Gardaí investigating the Creeslough explosion in Co Donegal have arrested a man aged in his 60s.
Gardaí said the man was arrested for alleged offences contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.
He is currently being detained under the provisions of section 4 Criminal Justice Act 1984 at a Garda station in the North Western Region.
He is the fifth person to be arrested in connection with the explosion at the Applegreen/Nearby service station and store in the Co Donegal town in which 10 people died.
In May last year, gardaí arrested a man and a woman, both aged in their 40s, for alleged offences contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.
Earlier in the year, two men in their 50s were arrested in connection with the explosion. Like the man and the woman arrested in May, they were later released without charge.
A Garda spokesperson said: “The investigation into the fatal explosion at a building complex in Creeslough, County Donegal is ongoing.
“This morning, investigating gardaí arrested one male aged in his 60s for alleged offences contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.
“This male is currently detained.
“A Garda Spokesperson is not available at this time.”
The investigation continues to be led by local gardaí in the Donegal Division, supported by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (GNBCI) and other agencies including the Health & Safety Authority (HSA) and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities (CRU).
Those who died on October 7, 2022, in the explosion, were James O Flaherty, 48, Jessica Gallagher, 24, Martin McGill, 49, Catherine O Donnell, 39, and her son James Monaghan, 13, Hugh Kelly, 59, Martina Martin, 49, Robert Garwe, 50, and his daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, 5, and Leona Harper, 14.
