REVEALED: The crucial clue CCTV footage just hours before fatal Creeslough explosion shows - as reason why the DPP STILL hasn't made a call on prosecutions is finally made clear

Published: 13:26, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 13:27, 9 July 2026 A person who appeared to be looking for a gas leak hours before ten people lost their lives at a service station in Creeslough is likely to be among those questioned at any inquiry into the tragedy. The crucial CCTV footage of the person was uncovered by gardaí as part of their long-running probe into the gas explosion that happened almost four years ago in the Donegal village.  It is expected the security recording will be presented at any possible forthcoming criminal trial, inquest or public inquiry. The Irish Mail on Sunday understands that a complaint about the gas system at the service station and the adjoining apartment complex was made to the Commission for Regulation of Utilities (CRU) several years before the explosion.  However, the utilities regulator has repeatedly refused to comment and has also persistently declined to reveal what action, if any, was taken after it was alerted about a possible problem. When asked again this weekend, a spokesman for the CRU would only say: ‘The events at Creeslough are part of an ongoing Garda investigation and therefore the CRU is unable to comment.’ The scene of the devastation in Creeslough Meanwhile, it has also emerged that four months after receiving the gardaí’s final file into the tragedy, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) cannot make a decision about possible prosecutions because the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) has yet to submit its report to the DPP’s office.  This weekend the State agency refused to say why its investigation has been delayed and officials also declined to reveal when their probe will be finished. A spokesman for the HSA would only say: ‘The Health and Safety Authority investigation into the Creeslough explosion is at an advanced stage.  The HSA Chief Executive will meet in early July with the families of those who lost their lives. It would not be appropriate to comment further while the investigation is on-going.’ These revelations come as families prepare to meet with investigating gardaí next Wednesday to be briefed about updates on the case after Justice Minister Jim O’Callaghan informed them there will be no ‘Stardust’ type inquest. Five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe, who died with her father Robert while picking out a birthday cake for her mother Áine Some of the families had urged the Government to hold a public inquiry. But both the Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Justice Minister Jim O’Callagahn have cautioned that such an inquiry could interfere with a possible criminal case.  The Department of Justice has ruled that an inquiry cannot be held until the DPP decides whether anyone is criminally liable over what unfolded on the afternoon of October 7, 2022. Three children died in the gas explosion that destroyed a petrol station and an adjoining apartment complex.  They were five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe, who died with her father Robert while picking out a birthday cake for her mother Áine; 13-year-old James Monaghan and his mother, Catherine O’Donnell; as well as 14-year-old Leona Harper. The others who lost their lives were Hugh Kelly, Jessica Gallagher, Martin McGill, James O’Flaherty and Martina Martin. The ten victims of the explosion in Creeslough - top row, left to right: Leona Harper, 14, Robert Garwe, 50, Shauna Flanagan Garwe, five, Jessica Gallagher, 24, and James O'Flaherty, 48. Bottom row, left to right: Martina Martin, 49, Hugh Kelly, 59, Catherine O'Donnell, 39, her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, and Martin McGill, 49 Seven people have been arrested as part of the extensive criminal investigation into the explosion and gardaí submitted their first file to the DPP last September.  A follow-up second file was submitted to the DPP last March and detectives who investigated the tragedy have made formal recommendations about whether any or all of those arrested should be charged. The Garda probe was one of three separate investigations into the tragedy.  The other two were commissioned by the Health and Safety Authority and the Commission for Regulation of Utilities. The HSA report is still outstanding. In response to queries, the DPP said it ‘does not comment on individual cases’. Sorry we are not currently accepting comments on this article.