A gas leak in an apartment is believed to be a line of investigation by Gardaí as a likely cause of the explosion which killed ten people at Creeslough Applegreen service station on Friday.
While the exact cause of the explosion might never be identified, Gardaí said they were treating it as a tragic accident.
County Donegal is one of just three counties in the Republic which does not have access to the natural gas network. However, many businesses use liquid petroleum gas (LPG) for heating and cooking purposes.
The explosion on Friday caused apartments above the shop complex to blow out and then collapse on top of the businesses below.
Garda Superintendent David Kelly told journalists on Saturday officers were following certain “investigative angles” but for operational reasons he could not divulge what they were.
Superintendent Kelly said: “At this point in time, we have to keep an open mind in how we investigate this but our information at this point in time is pointing towards a tragic accident.”
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Gardaí are being assisted in their investigation of the scene by experts from Britain. Efforts to identify the exact cause have been obstructed through the destruction of evidence caused by the explosion itself and the necessary removal of material to reach the victims.
However, it’s understood Gardaí were able to retrieve CCTV footage from a nearby building. The footage showed the windows in an apartment above the shop complex blowing out seconds before the apartments collapsed on top of the shops below.
Experts said that if there had been a sufficient build-up of leaked gas in a confined area such as an apartment, the explosion could have been triggered by something as simple as the turning on of an electric switch.
Superintendent Kelly said officers had contacted the coroner for County Donegal and were working closely with other agencies such as the Republic’s Health and Safety Executive. Garda liaison officers have also been assigned to all of the bereaved families.
Read more: Mother and teenage son, a young woman, a father, husband, among the victims of Creeslough tragedy
