‘Another arrest on way’ in Creeslough inquiry
Two men already detained by gardai
GARDAI are planning to make at least one more arrest over their probe into the Creeslough disaster, it has emerged.
Sources last night told the Irish Mirror there is another person of interest in the investigation – as detectives continued to quiz two men.
The pair, in their 50s, were arrested in Co Donegal yesterday and were being held on suspicion of endangerment in relation to the October 2022 blast that killed 10 people.
Sources have told us the men are being investigated on suspicion of endangerment, which carries a jail sentence of up to seven years if convicted.
Garda Commissioner Drew Harris confirmed gardai investigating the disaster were working to prepare a file for the Director of Public Prosecutions, who would then decide if anyone should face court over the explosion.
The arrests sent shockwaves through the local village which is still battling to come to terms with the loss of so many local lives just a year-and-a-half ago.
They are the first arrests in the exhaustive investigation involving a number of agencies including local officers supported by the Garda National Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the Health & Safety Authority & the Commission for the Regulation of Utilities and involved the taking of hundreds of different statements.
The probe, which culminated in the arrests, is being co-ordinated from Milford Garda station, where an Incident Room is established under the direction of a Garda Senior Investigating Officer.
They also came just hours after the regeneration plan for the village was unveiled on Thursday evening. The plan is a culmination of a number of meetings aimed at rejuvenating the village following a huge explosion at the local Applegreen Service Station on a busy Friday afternoon on October 7, 2022.
Up to 100 people gathered at the local Massinass Hall for the unveiling of the plan.
They included bereaved families, local community leaders and local county councillors.
Among the groups who came together to engage in a plan for the village were Donegal County Council, Creeslough Community Association and the Creeslough Working Group. International consultancy service Arup, who worked on the plan pro bono, were also present.
The centre piece is a new community centre or hub which will also include extensive sporting facilities.
It will also contain private rooms for continued counselling of those still struggling with the impact of the tragedy and also rooms in which to hold local events as the community recovers.
Local parish priest Fr Johnduffy, who provided so much comfort to the devastated village in the days, weeks and months after the tragedy, was also present.
Fr Duffy spoke about how Creeslough continues to be on a journey of healing which may take generations to complete.
But he said he hoped the new community hub will serve as a “beating heart” for residents in those trying times ahead.
Liam Ward, Director of Services with Donegal County Council, said the land for the project was already available.