10 die in petrol station horror
Girl, 5, among blast victims
A GIRL of five buying a birthday cake for her mum was thought to be among 10 people killed in Ireland’s petrol station blast.
A search continued yesterday at the site of Friday’s explosion.
The child victim was with her dad at the Applegreen service station convenience store in the village of Creeslough,
Co Donegal.
Authorities last night said another victim was Jessica
Gallagher, 23, who lived in a flat above the petrol station.
Her boyfriend was in a serious condition in hospital.
A friend said:
“Jessica studied design at a university in Paris and she’d travelled around
Asia. She’d moved in with her boyfriend above the petrol station shop. He had been about to have a shower. He is in a bad way.”
Others killed in the shop were understood to include a mum and her young son and a farmer in his 60s.
Irish police said four men, three women, a teenage girl, a teenage boy and a girl of primary school age died.
The Garda did not explain what may have caused the explosion but described it as a “tragic accident”.
Eight people, including children, were taken to hospital.
The blast caused huge damage to surrounding buildings and cars.
Villagers had formed a human chain to remove debris from the destroyed petrol station shop and rescue some of those trapped.
They freed one badly injured girl aged in her mid-teens but were unable to reach her friend.
All the victims lived in Creeslough, a small village of 400 people.
Northern Irish emergency workers helped the search and on Friday night machinery was turned off as people listened for anyone trapped.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin said Ireland had been “shattered” by the tragedy.
Priest John Joe Duffy said villagers were “numb and devastated”.
Ex-westlife singer Brian Mcfadden tweeted: “Sending my thoughts to all my family and friends in my family hometown of Creeslough. My heart is broken with the news.”