Child among 10 killed in Donegal petrol station blast as search for survivors ends
Ireland is in mourning after the death toll from the explosion at a petrol station in County Donegal rose to 10, including a young child and two teenagers.
Emergency services called off a search on Saturday evening after sifting through rubble all day, and did not expect to find more survivors or bodies.
The victims were four men, three women, a teenage boy, a teenage girl and a girl of primary school age, Gardaí said in a statement. “It is not expected that there will be any further casualties located and there are no outstanding reports of unaccounted-for persons.”
One of the victims killed in the explosion has been named locally as Leona Harper, who was a member of Letterkenny rugby club. In a post on Facebook, the club said: “We are heartbroken to say our worst fears have been confirmed. Leona Harper tragically lost her life yesterday in Creeslough.
“Leona was a talented rugby player and an important part of our U14 girls team. To Leona’s parents, Hugh and Donna, her brothers Anthony and Jamie, and all of her teammates, we offer you our deepest condolences and support.
“There are no words that feel strong enough at a moment of deep sorrow such as this.”
The names of other victims have started to emerge: Jessica Gallagher, understood to have been in her early 20s; a shop worker, Martina Martin; Catherine O’Donnell and her son James; and Hughie Kelly have all been named locally as among those who died.
The blast tore through an Applegreen service station outside the village of Creeslough, near the Republic of Ireland’s north-western tip, on Friday, killing 10 and injuring at least eight.
The taoiseach, Micheál Martin, visited the site of the explosion on Saturday evening and spoke to members of the emergency services who worked for 24 hours to locate victims.
“The entire nation is mourning and deeply saddened,” he said. “Talking to those on the frontline and everyone involved, they were very moved by the extraordinary support they got from the community here almost immediately.
“Many volunteers rushed to the scene to try and do everything they could to help because it was an horrific scene they came upon and we must always remember our emergency services.
“I want to thank them for helping those who were trapped and injured. We must do everything we can to support the community.”
Garda superintendent Dave Kelly said an investigation was under way and that initial information indicated a tragic accident. There is speculation it was a gas leak.
The explosion, at about 3.20pm on Friday, gutted the petrol station and devastated adjacent apartments, some of which collapsed, blanketing the forecourt in rubble and glass. The site includes a shop, deli counter and post office.
Police confirmed three fatalities on Friday and seven on Saturday after a frantic 24 hours in which search teams, including some from Northern Ireland, had scoured the ruins.
Ambulances and helicopters transported wounded people to a hospital at Letterkenny, 15 miles away, and Dublin, 160 miles away. The coastguard set up a landing zone in the city’s Phoenix Park.
The explosion, heard several miles away, shattered the tranquillity of a rural village. Its only shop was at the service station, a communal hub said to be usually busy on Friday afternoons. Creeslough has a population of 400 people and is about 30 miles from the border with Northern Ireland.
Relatives and friends of people believed to have been in the buildings at the time gathered at the scene, waiting for news.
At one point on Friday night, lights illuminated the scene as rescuers turned off machinery, blew whistles and asked onlookers to remain silent while they tried to detect survivors beneath the debris.
At the village church the parish priest, Fr John Joe Duffy, held a special mass for the dead and injured. Messages of solidarity and condolence came from across Ireland.
The Irish president, Michael D Higgins, said: “All of our thoughts must go out to all of those who have been affected. Those who have received news of the loss of a loved one, those injured and, most of all, those who are waiting with anxiety for news of their loved ones.”
A fundraiser for survivors and victims’ families on GoFundMe had raised €100,000 by Saturday evening.