Superintendent outlines next steps with Creeslough investigation to begin

Garda superintendent Liam Geraghty said the investigation into how a fatal explosion in Creeslough occurred will now begin - a catastrophe that resulted in 10 losing their lives with eight more still in hospital.

An explosion took place at approximately 3:15pm on Friday at the Applegreen service station in Creeslough, with the emergency forces rushing the scene and working tirelessly through the night into Saturday in a search and rescue operation.

“The Garda investigation has now commenced following the completion of the search and rescue,” Superintendent Geraghty said in Creeslough this afternoon. “The investigation will take a period of time and the Technical Bureau will be on the scene in the coming days and agencies and other sections within An Garda Siochana. That investigation will take a period of time and the investigation is there to investigate the cause.

Creeslough explosion: Ten victims named by Gardai

Two students at a secondary school and a five-year-old girl are among those who lost their lives in Friday's explosion which has rocked Creeslough and its environs

“There will be technical investigations, although they may not be the same level of activity that we saw during the search and rescue investigation but there will be continuing, as the experts determine what we need to do.”

The superintendent confirmed the names of those who lost their lives - James O’Flaherty, 48; Jessica Gallagher, 24; Martin McGill, 49; Catherine O’Donnell, 39; James Monaghan, 13; Hugh Kelly, 59; Martina Martin, 49; Robert Garwe, 50 and his daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, 5 years, and Leona Harper, 14 years. Seven people are in a stable condition in Letterkenny University Hospital, with a man in his twenties critical at James’s Hospital.

“This has had a huge impact on the community,” he added. “These are all local people. They are all very much involved in the community, people who were just shopping in their local shop. We have young school children so the schools will be impacted, the GAA club locally will be impacted. The community will be severely impacted, as will family, friends and neighbours. I’m sure the community will continue to come together as they did since Friday.

“It was a very traumatic scene for everyone, including the emergency services, and indeed our colleagues from Northern Ireland, were involved and this, while dealing with recovery or fatality at the scene. Within the Garda Siochana we have a wide range of support for our members. That is similar in other agencies as well. This will have an impact on our members who have young children themselves. Most of these are local guards and would’ve dealt with the people of this locality on a local basis.”