The inquiry into the devastating explosion at an Applegreen service station in Creeslough, County Donegal, which resulted in the deaths of 10 individuals in 2022, has led to additional arrests by the Garda. A man and a woman, both in their 40s, were taken into custody on Monday, following the previous detention of two individuals in March. The preliminary detainees were released without charges but the investigation has persisted, with subsequent arrests expected.
The two individuals arrested were taken into custody under the charges suggested by the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act, 1997, according to a statement from the Garda. They are currently being held in two separate Garda stations in Donegal under Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act, 1984.
Leading the inquiry into the catastrophic incident, in which a service station along with an apartment complex were destroyed, are local Garda from the Donegal region, with additional assistance coming from the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation (NBCI), the serious crime unit of the Garda. Other agencies including the Health & Safety Authority and the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities, are also contributing to the investigation led by Garda.
The law that sanctioned the recent arrests permits a holding period of up to 24 hours without charges. Interrogations of the arrested individuals involve presenting collected evidence thus far to add to the case file.
Responses to the interrogative inquiries will assist the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) in making decisions when the case file is eventually submitted. The DPP’s office holds the responsibility to determine if criminal prosecution is justified, and if so, to identify the appropriate charges and the individuals to be charged.
The explosion that occurred on Friday, 7th October 2022, claimed the lives of people aged five to 59. Since the beginning of the investigation, Gardaí have concentrated on examining the gas system of the buildings on the site, including a residential block on a joint residential and retail site.
While it is not implied that the gas system was manipulated or purposely harmed, every element of its operation and maintenance was thoroughly inspected by the investigative team.
The first detainees in the case, two males apprehended in March, were questioned by detective officers about the gas system. Similar interrogations are expected to be brought forth to the individuals captured on Monday.
With the apprehension of these two individuals in March, the Garda officially confirmed that the ongoing investigation into the explosion’s origin was criminal in nature. It was also verified that an account of possible criminal charges would be forwarded to the DPP upon the conclusion of the investigation.