Donegal explosion: how many people have died? Death toll includes teenagers and a child

Two teenagers and a young child are among 10 people confirmed dead in an explosion at an Irish petrol station.

The blast happened in the village of Creeslough, Co Donegal on Friday (7 October) afternoon. It ripped through the Applegreen service station and convenience store and adjacent buildings. Having announced three fatalities on Friday night, the Irish police force, An Garda Siochana, confirmed a further four deaths in a statement on this morning (8 October) before increasing the total again to 10.

A spokesman for the police, An Garda Siochana, said emergency services do not expect to recover any further victims from the rubble and there are no outstanding missing person reports.

How many people have died in the explosion?

Irish police said four men, three women, a teenage girl, a teenage boy and a girl of primary school age were killed in the blast in Creeslough, Co Donegal.

At a media conference in Milford, Co Donegal on Saturday afternoon, Garda press spokesman Liam Geraghty said: “The emergency services continue a search and recovery operation at the site this afternoon but based on the information available to An Garda Siochana at this time it is not expected that there will be any further casualties located and there are no outstanding reports of unaccounted for persons.

“The 10 casualties are four men, three women, two teenagers – a boy and girl, and a younger girl. The thoughts of all the emergency service personnel who have attended the scene over the last 24 hours, the local community in Creeslough and the nation are today with the deceased and their families.”

It is the “darkest of days” for Donegal

A major emergency response operation involving first responders from both sides of the Irish border extended through the night and was continuing on Saturday morning. Among those gathered at the cordon on Friday night were relatives of people believed to have been in the buildings at the time.

Sniffer dogs are being used amid the rubble. At one point on Friday night all machinery was turned off and onlookers were asked to remain completely silent as rescue workers attempted to detect survivors beneath the debris.

Irish premier Micheal Martin said Friday was the “darkest of days” for Donegal and Ireland. “My thoughts and prayers are today with those who have lost their lives, and those injured in the devastating explosion in Creeslough,” said the Taoiseach.

He continued: “I wish to express my deepest sympathies to their family and friends, and to the entire community of Creeslough, on this darkest of days for Donegal and the entire country. People across this island will be numbed by the same sense of shock and utter devastation as the people of Creeslough at this tragic loss of life.

“I would like to thank all the members of the emergency services, from across the north west and Northern Ireland, who responded so quickly to the scene, and who are working throughout the night in extremely traumatic circumstances.”

Is the cause of the blast known?

The Garda has not provided any information on the suspected cause of the explosion. Local priest John Joe Duffy said the community was “numb and devastated”.

“We’re just broken-hearted, everyone is broken-hearted, we’re lost for words,” he told the PA news agency at the scene. “What I’m appealing for is for the prayers of the people across this county and across the country, to pray for us, to help us and to give us strength to get through these difficult hours and difficult days that may lay ahead.”

Donegal TD Joe McHugh said friends and families of people feared missing were going through a very difficult waiting period. “We’re just waiting here, my sympathies and thoughts are with a lot of families here and their friends and loved ones, there is a very difficult waiting period now,” he told PA.

Applegreen issues statement after explosion

Applegreen Ireland directing manager Fiona Matthews said the company was “deeply saddened and shocked to learn the devastating news that lives have been lost in today’s tragic incident”.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of the deceased, those who have been injured, and the wider Creeslough community,” she said. “Creeslough is a small village and the supermarket and Applegreen outlet operated by our local partners there are at the heart of the community. Like the rest of Ireland, tonight we stand in solidarity with that community.”

Public urged not to attend Letterkenny Hospital

Multiple emergency service vehicles remain at the scene.

On Friday night a coastguard helicopter airlifted some of those who were injured in the blast from Letterkenny University Hospital to Dublin. Northern Ireland’s air ambulance was also deployed, as were fire crews and ground ambulances from the region.

Letterkenny hospital appealed to the public not to attend its emergency department unless it was urgent. The hospital initiated its major emergency standby protocol earlier on Friday. It stood down the protocol late on Friday night.

In a statement, the hospital said: “The hospital continues to treat those injured in the incident at Creeslough, Co Donegal, and remains on hand to provide all necessary medical assistance required.”