Investigators believe the blast that killed a man at a homeless shelter in Dublin city centre yesterday was caused by an improvised explosive device.
Gardaí are expected to open a full criminal investigation today as further forensic tests of the scene are carried out.
The explosion occurred at a room at the Depaul Supported Temporary Accommodation centre on Little Britain Street at about 3.15pm on Thursday.
Army bomb disposal technicians, using a robot, carried out a controlled explosion following the initial blast at the centre, the Defence Forces have confirmed.
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It is understood the man who was killed is a Lithuanian, aged in his 30s, who was a client of the centre. Gardaí are seeking to contact the man’s family.
Gardaí initially believed the explosion was not suspicious. However, further investigations prompted officials to call in the Defence Forces’ Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) unit to examine the scene amid fears the blast was caused by an explosive device.
A Defence Forces spokesman said technicians arrived on the scene just after 7pm. A statement confirmed that the EOD carried out “post-blast analysis and clearance, which included a controlled explosion”.
Once the scene was cleared it was handed back to An Garda Síochána and the operation ended at about 12.30am.
Sources said initial assessments suggested an object in the room may have been tampered with, leading to the explosion. Gardaí are still waiting for the scene to be made safe before beginning forensic analysis.
There were no other serious injuries. The building has been evacuated with residents being accommodated in other shelters.
A statement from An Garda Síochána said that it was actively investigating the cause of the explosion.
“Gardaí and emergency services responded to an incident at a residential premises on Little Britain Street shortly after 3pm, following reports of an explosion inside the property,” An Garda said.
“An adult male aged in his 30s sustained fatal injuries and was pronounced deceased at the scene. The explosion was confined to one room within the property, and no one else was injured. Residents at the premises were evacuated, and a cordon, along with local traffic diversions, remain in place.”
The coroner has been notified, and a postmortem examination is due to be carried out by the State Pathologist at Dublin city Morgue.
Depaul said 71 affected people were accommodated across other services in Dublin. It has established an incident management centre to coordinate efforts to support its service users, staff and volunteers.
“We will continue to liaise with the Gardaí as they continue their investigations into the incident,” said the organisation in a statement on Friday.
“Little Britain Street is a critical service for some of the most vulnerable people in our society and our main objective is to reopen as soon as we can.”
Emergency services quickly attended the scene at the hostel, which is just off Capel Street. It is understood a number of people were on the premises at the time of the incident.
One woman who was inside the accommodation when the explosion happened said she initially thought the fire alarm had been set off by someone smoking a cigarette.
The next thing she knew she saw people “running out” of the hostel, she said. “People are going in the street because of the danger,” she said.
Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) said firefighters and paramedics from Phibsborough, Tara Street and North Strand stations responded to the emergency call at 3.15pm. They said the incident was brought under control by 3.35pm and the scene was handed over to the gardaí at 4.15pm.
The building was evacuated and local traffic diversions were put in place.
Many of those who were in the accommodation at the time were moved into the nearby George’s Hill facility run by Focus Ireland.
Several roads around Little Britain Street were closed off following the incident, with a large Garda cordon set up around the building.
One man who was staying in the emergency accommodation said he heard a “bang” followed by the fire alarm.
Wayne, who did not wish to give his surname, said he had been staying in the hostel for several weeks.
“People were flying out the door, everyone just legged it,” he said. “Everyone just thought it was a fire drill because they usually do that once a month.”
When he got outside he said he saw a “cloud of smoke” coming out of the building.
“There could have been an awful lot of people in there killed today,” he said. “I don’t even know where my girlfriend is, we don’t know what’s going on now.”
In a statement on Thursday evening, the Dublin Region Homeless Executive (DRHE) said: “The DRHE was notified this afternoon of a serious incident at a supported hostel in the city. The incident occurred within the building and was confined to one room. All residents are being evacuated on a temporary basis to allow for a full assessment. Our priority is to safely reaccommodate all residents tonight.”
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