Gardaí continue to question man over Creeslough explosion

Gardaí are continuing to question a man in connection with an explosion in Creeslough in Co Donegal in 2022, in which ten people died.

The man, who is in his 60s, voluntarily presented himself at Dundalk Garda Station this morning and was arrested shortly before 10am, his solicitor Joe Rice has confirmed.

It is understood that the man has been arrested for alleged reckless endangerment contrary to the Non-Fatal Offences Against the Person Act 1997.

Gardaí have confirmed that the man is being detained under the provisions of Section 4 of the Criminal Justice Act 1984.

He can be held for up to 24 hours and it is understood that he was granted a meal break this afternoon.

There have been four previous arrests in relation to this investigation, three men and one woman.

All four people were released without charge.

Gardaí have said their investigation into the fatal explosion at a building complex in Creeslough is ongoing and is being co-ordinated from Milford Garda Station in Co Donegal, where an incident room has been set up under the direction of a senior investigating officer.

They say the investigation continues to be led by local gardaí in the Donegal Division and is being 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).

The explosion on the afternoon of Friday, 7 October 2022 claimed the lives of four men, three women and three young people.

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