Creeslough: Pair arrested over County Donegal explosion released

Image source, Getty Images

Image caption, The service station and an apartment block were ripped apart by the blast

Two men, arrested in connection with an explosion at a petrol station in County Donegal which killed 10 people in 2022, have been released without charge.

A five-year old girl was among the victims of the blast in Creeslough on 7 October.

The men, aged in their 50s, were detained on Friday and released on Saturday.

Garda铆 (Irish police) said the investigation, led by its Donegal division, is ongoing.

They intend to submit a file to the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Creeslough is a small village in the north-west of Ireland, about 15 miles (24km) from Letterkenny and 30 miles (48km) from the border with Northern Ireland.

It has a population of about 400 people.

The victims - four men, three women, two teenagers and a five-year-old girl - were from the village or surrounding areas.

On the first anniversary of the tragedy, Garda铆 said their investigation had been continuing "as expeditiously as possible, in the circumstances" to ensure issues around the tragedy are "professionally investigated".

At the time, Garda铆 revealed that they had opened more than 1,350 lines of inquiry and taken in excess of 900 statements.

Friday's arrests were the first to be made in connection with the explosion by police.

Garda铆 previously said the incident was being treated as a tragic accident, with a gas leak believed to be one theory.

The blast resulted in the highest number of civilian casualties in a single incident in the county in decades.

Eight people were treated in hospital for their injuries.