Live coverage of the Irish presidential election on IrishCentral - Friday, October 28th

A police investigation has been launched to determine if sabotage caused the wheel of Irish presidential candidate Dana Rosemary Scallon's campaign car to explode, but experts are contending the blow out was consistent with the car having been driven on a flat tyre.

Both Fastfit and Advance Pitstop mechanics told the press the damage did not appear sinister. This assessment contrasts with own Dana's claim she was 'lucky to be alive' after her campaign car blew out on the motorway to Dublin.

Dana was reportedly asleep in the back seat of the car which her husband Damien was driving, when he suddenly lost control at about 80 miles an hour on the way to Dublin.
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Dana's campaign team reportedly told the press that the tyre appeared to have been punctured up to 15 times and the damage was not consistent with a standard 'blow-out.' That admission suspected foul play.

'When you see the tyre it kind of sends home to us what were they trying to do - injure us or murder us? Along with doing that, they could have killed someone else,' Damien Scallon told 4ni.com.

Eddie Ryan of Advance Pitstop took a less dramatic view: 'From the pictures of the wheel, we can see nothing of any unusual damage. We can see nothing from the outside of the tyre inferring that there is any mischievous damage.'

'We can't see the inside of the tyre. And the only way to tell for sure would be to see and examine the inside of the tyre. However, the damage is consistent with a car driven on a flat tyre.'

Live coverage of the Irish presidential election on IrishCentral - Friday, October 28th