At least nine people were killed in an explosion at a gas station in a small village in northwest Ireland, police said Saturday, as emergency workers searched for more victims.
Irish police said Saturday four people were confirmed dead overnight, adding to the initial toll of three. Eight people are in hospitals and several people are unaccounted for after a blast tore through the Applegreen service station in Creeslough, County Donegal.
“The search and recovery for further fatalities continues,” said the police force, An Garda Siochana.
Emergency responders from Ireland and neighbouring Northern Ireland are involved in what police said was now a search and recovery operation. Sniffer dogs combed the debris, and a mechanical digger lifted piles of rubble from the site.
The explosion levelled the gas station building, which holds the main shop and post office for the village, and damaged nearby buildings. The cause of the blast is under investigation.
The Guardian reported that the explosion took place at about 3.15pm, gutted the petrol station and devastated adjacent apartments, some of which collapsed, blanketing the forecourt in rubble and glass.
Irish Prime Minister Michel Martin said it was one of the 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,” he said.
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue, who represents Donegal in Ireland's parliament, said the service station was well known across the country because of its prominent position on the main N56 road, and was the heart of the local community.
“People are shocked and numbed,” he told Irish broadcaster RTE. “People have been rallying together and everyone's concern is with the families of those who have lost their loved ones and how they can support them in the days ahead," McConalogue said.
(With inputs from PTI)
