FATAL DETONATION | 

Pipe bomb exploded under bed of man killed in Dublin hostel, gardai believe

An Eastern European man aged in his 30s was in the room at the time and died instantly as a result of the explosion.

Robin Schiller and Ken Foy

Today at 10:37

Gardaí believe a man was killed in an explosion at a Dublin hostel after a pipe bomb detonated underneath his bed.

An army bomb disposal team carried out a controlled explosion at the scene last night while gardaí are investigating all the circumstances in relation to the fatal blast.

The incident happened at the property on Little Britain Street, Dublin 7, shortly after 3pm yesterday.

Residents were evacuated from the Depaul hostel following the explosion which was confined to one room.

An Eastern European man aged in his 30s was in the room at the time and died instantly as a result of the explosion.

Initial inquiries identified the blast as originating form underneath a bed in the room and the Army’s bomb squad were called in to carry out a controlled explosion in the early hours of this morning.

Gardaí now suspect that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device which detonated underneath the deceased man’s bed.

Sources said the IED was a pipe bomb and inquiries into how and why the device was detonated are ongoing.

Emergency services including the Dublin Fire Brigade (DFB) and Gardaí were notified of the explosion at around 3.15pm on Thursday afternoon.

Over 50 residents were evacuated from the hostel as a result of the blast which caused significant structural damage to the room it occurred in.

No other injuries were reported with Depaul saying it was trying to accommodate them elsewhere with the help of other organisations.

A Defence Forces spokesperson last night said: “Tonight, Defence Forces Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) experts responded to a request for assistance from An Garda Síochána to Little Britain St., Dublin. EOD was requested following the death of a man in an explosion. EOD carried out post blast analysis and clearance, which included a controlled explosion. Once the scene was cleared the scene was handed back to An Garda Síochána. This operation concluded at approx. 0030hrs.”

One resident of the Depaul homeless shelter said a wall dividing the men’s and women’s sections of the building collapsed as a result of the explosion.

“I heard an alarm and I heard a bang. As I came out the whole wall just went,” the resident said.

“They used fire extinguishers so they could enter the room but it wasn’t a fire, it was just with dust and everything else.”

The woman said she was one of the last people to leave the building, along with two other women who were unsure

what had happened. “Everything is still back in there, I have nothing. No meds, no nothing. Everything is in there now and I don’t know what I’m going to do,” she added.

In a statement last night a garda spokesman said: “Gardaí at the Bridewell are actively investigating the cause of an explosion at a property on Little Britain Street, Dublin 7, on Thursday, 18th January 2024.

“Gardaí and emergency services responded to an incident at a residential premises on Little Britain Street shortly after 3:00 pm, following reports of an explosion inside the property. 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 precise cause of the explosion is currently under investigation, and the Garda Technical Bureau have commenced a forensic and technical examination with assistance from Army EOD.

“The Coroner has been notified, and a post-mortem examination is due to be carried out by the State Pathologist at Dublin City Morgue tomorrow.

“Anyone with information that can assist investigating Gardaí is asked to contact the Bridewell Garda Station on 01 6668200 or the Garda Confidential Line on 1800 666 111.

“The investigation is ongoing. “

The charity service which operates the hostel said in a statement: “Depaul can confirm that all service users in our Little Britain Street service have been evacuated from the building tonight and alternative placements have been found following the incident today.

“The building was evacuated in an exemplary manner, adhering to our safety protocol. Our heart goes out to the service user who lost their life, as well as their family and service users who were in the building at the time. This was an isolated incident, confined to one room and no other service users were physically harmed in this incident. We wish to thank the emergency services, DRHE, and our NGO partners for their assistance in the emergency response.”