LAST UPDATE | 8 Oct 2022
THE PRESIDENT HAS said that the country is in shock after the “terrible tragedy” in Donegal yesterday
In a statement, President Michael D Higgins said that the tragedy was a “terrible blow” to the local community in Creeslough, which has been left reeling in the aftermath of an explosion that has left at least nine people dead.
“May I, as President, express what I know will be the shock shared by all people throughout the country on learning of the terrible tragedy which has unfolded in Creeslough, Co Donegal,” he said.
“This tragedy is a terrible blow to a community that is closely knit and where every loss and injury will be felt by every member of the community and far beyond.
The President paid tribute to both members of the Creeslough community and the emergency services who responded to the explosion, praising them for their work overnight.
“All of our best thoughts and prayers go to those who have lost their lives and their families.
“Ar dheis Dé go raibh a n-anamacha,” he concluded.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has pledged supports for the community in Creeslough to help get through the “enormous trauma” following the fatal explosion.
“The community in Creeslough is going through an enormous trauma. And we have to do everything we possibly can to help the community come through this, day-by-day and in the time ahead,” he said.
“No words will console what has happened and console those who have lost loved ones as a result of this tragedy but we have to be there for them as a people and we have to do everything we can to help them to try and cope with this unspeakable tragedy.”
When asked what can be done by Government to help, Mr Martin said they would continue to “back up” local authority and health services.
‘Shock and sadness’
Cllr Liam Blaney, the Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, said this afternoon that he had visited the scene of the explosion and paid tribute to those carrying out the search and recovery operation.
He said in a statement: “There is a huge sense of shock and sadness throughout the entire county and much further afield. Our thoughts are with the Community in Creeslough, those who have received word that their loved one had died, the many people who have been injured and especially those who are waiting anxiously for news of their loved ones still missing.
“I also wish to acknowledge the assistance received from Emergency Services in Northern Ireland. I want to especially acknowledge the assistance provided by the local community in Creeslough and the wider area who have greatly assisted in the ongoing efforts.
“We all stand in solidarity with the Community in Creeslough at this very difficult time. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased, those injured and those still missing.
“The community in Creeslough and especially the families directly affected will need our support and help over the coming days and weeks. On behalf of Donegal Co. Council, I wish to pledge our support and I have no doubt that the wider community in Donegal will respond in kind.”
Bishop Alan McGuckian of the Diocese of Raphoe, which covers most of Donegal, said in a statement that “yesterday was the darkest day” for the county.
“I have witnessed at first hand the immediate reaction of the local community to the tragedy who, in their bravery, took risks at the site to help others even to the detriment of their own safety. I wish to commend the first responders, and the emergency services of Donegal and Derry, for their high level of professional cooperation and rapid response.”
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson also paid tribute to emergency responders at his party’s conference in Belfast.
“I also want to express our sympathies to those families who have been bereaved in the tragic events in Donegal yesterday afternoon and those injured as a result of this explosion are foremost in our thoughts,” he said.
“I want to assure the people of Creeslough of our collective prayers and I want them to know that they will continue to be in our thoughts in the days ahead.”
In a statement this afternoon, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan said: “The bustling petrol station and shop on a busy Friday afternoon is something that people in almost every town can identify with. This is a truly dark and awful event that has numbed the country.”
Additional reporting by Emer Moreau and Press Association
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