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LAST UPDATE | 8 Oct 2022
This article was last updated at 1.30pm – you can keep up to date with developments this afternoon in our liveblog here.
NINE PEOPLE HAVE been confirmed dead following a major explosion at a service station in Donegal yesterday afternoon.
The incident occurred in the Creeslough area of Donegal at around 3.15pm yesterday.
The death toll from the explosion has now risen to nine after an update early this morning put it at seven, with Gardaí saying that the search and recovery operation is still ongoing.
A spokesperson for the Gardaí said: “An Garda Síochána can now confirm nine fatalities as a result of this incident. The search and recovery for further fatalities continues.”
Earlier this morning, Gardaí said that eight people had been transferred to hospital yesterday for medical attention following the explosion.
Gardaí, firefighters, paramedics and other emergency workers are currently at the scene.
“An Garda Síochána continue to request that any road users intending to travel to the Creeslough area for any reason consider alternative routes as Emergency Services continue to deal with this ongoing incident,” said Gardaí, adding that diversions are in place.
Speaking to RTÉ Radio One this morning, Seán Murphy, the manager of Letterkenny Hospital confirmed that there were children involved in the explosion.
Overnight, a major emergency response operation was underway involving first responders from both sides of the border and it continued into this morning.
Rubble was being moved on to trailers and hauled from the scene.
Two rescue workers were on a raised platform above the site of the explosion and a digger was working through the debris.
Sniffer dogs were being used amid the rubble.
Currently, Gardaí have not provided any information on the suspected cause of the explosion.
Community ‘heartbroken’
In a post on Facebook overnight, the Creeslough Community Association said that the local community was “utterly heartbroken”.
“Our community is utterly heartbroken tonight. Please keep everyone in your thoughts and prayers as we try to process the devastation this day has brought to us all in Creeslough.”
Parish priest, Fr John Joe Duffy, said that local volunteers and emergency responders showed “tremendous generosity” at the scene.
Speaking to reporters, he said there was “such a quick response from the local volunteers in our community” despite “the horror of what we were facing.
He added that people from surrounding communities and across the border “just heard of this and rushed down without being asked to do so.”
A mass was held in the local church in Creeslough this morning.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin said that it was a “devastating” tragedy and that it had “ripped through the normality of the community”.
“We’re witnessing a terrible, terrible tragedy on a wonderful community in Creeslough and our thoughts and our prayers are with [them],” said Martin, speaking to RTÉ Radio One.
He praised the work of the emergency services from the northwest and Northern Ireland who responded to the tragedy.
“We thank in the warmest way the the emergency services, who went into harm’s way who did everything they possibly could to rescue, to help and to comfort the community… We owe a great debt of gratitude.”
Local Sinn Féin TD Pearse Doherty said that the community in Creeslough would be “forever changed” after the explosion yesterday, saying that there wouldn’t be anyone in the area who wouldn’t know someone who has died.
“There won’t be anybody in this village or indeed further afield that won’t know somebody who was deceased in this explosion,” Doherty said.
“The community’s in shock, we’re just numb. There’s broken hearts all over.”
Agriculture Minister and Fianna Fáil TD for Donegal Charlie McConalogue said that it had been a very difficult time overnight.
“It has been a very difficult time overnight as the emergency services have worked their way through the rubble,” McConalogue said.
“It is a really challenging, traumatic situation here in Creeslough. There is real devastation here in this local community.”
Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has said that the tragedy has been a “devastating loss for a small community”.
“There is shock right across the island and among Irish people everywhere. We are all holding our loved ones a little closer and a little tighter this morning,” said McDonald.
We are thinking of those who went to a petrol station on a Friday afternoon but didn’t come home. We are all standing in solidarity with the community in Creeslough in the difficult hours that lie ahead.
The Chief Executive of Applegreen, Joe Barrett, has said that yesterday was a “very dark day for Creeslough, for Donegal, for Ireland, and for all of us in the wider Applegreen family”.
“This is a hugely tragic event, and I would like to offer our deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the deceased, and to the entire community in Creeslough. We are utterly shocked and saddened at what happened yesterday,” said Barrett.
He said that the Applegreen was at “the very heart of the village” and that “we will continue to assist and support our partners, and the wider Creeslough community, in the days and weeks ahead”.
Creeslough is a village in the north-west of Donegal, around 12 kilometres from Dunfanaghy and 25km north of Letterkenny. As of the last census figures, it has a population of 393 people.
President Michael D Higgins said that the tragedy was a “terrible blow” to the local community.
“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,” he said in a statement.
Events cancelled
Events that were scheduled to take place across Donegal today are being cancelled, with local parkruns in Letterkenny, Dungloe, Buncranna and Falcarragh all cancelling out of respect for people impacted by the explosion.
Late last night, it was confirmed that all GAA games in Donegal would be cancelled following the tragedy.
In a statement, Donegal GAA extended thoughts and prayers to the community of Creeslough and said that it would be cancelling all matches scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.
“The extent of fatalities and injuries at the terrible explosion this evening is not yet clear but there is little doubt that a tragedy of epic proportions is unfolding,” said Donegal GAA in a statement.
“The thoughts and prayers of everyone involved with CLG Dhún na nGall are with the community of Creeslough, the hardworking emergency services and the Gaels of CLG Naomh Micheál at this terrible time.”
The Donegal Motor Club has also cancelled its Harvest Rally, which was due to take place today.
Additional reporting by Diarmuid Pepper, Emer Moreau and Press Association
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Heartbreaking for the people involved in the rescue operation. Rest In Peace to those who have passed away. Thoughts and prayers with the people of Donegal today.
@James Fox: big shout out and thanks to the NI emergency services – cross border assistance and comradery as it should be.
@James Lough: big time in time of need they helped, thank you NI.
RIP to all. Fair play to the emergency services and local volunteers trying to help. Let’s hope the news doesn’t get any worse than it already is.
Awful tragedy. RIP
Heartbreaking to hear. Rest in peace to those 7 whose lives were cut short. Sincere condolences to the families. Hopefully the others can be recovered safely.
What a tragedy.
Dear god! What a tragedy! Devastating for all impacted. My heart goes out to everyone in their community. I hope they find some level of comfort in each other.
Pure devastation – so sad.
Heartbreaking my thoughts and prayers are with you
It’s very sad, but what exploded?
@Bart O Brien: gas explosion – allegedly.
@Bart O Brien: I’m not sure they can actually say exactly what happened just yet. Probably needs a bit of investigation first. But going off some BBC journalism I found this ‘Donegal independent councillor John O’Donnell said his understanding was that the incident was caused by a gas explosion.’
Whether it was a gas explosion at the station or a gas explosion in the complex, it doesn’t say.
Guess we’ll have to wait for the investigation first – and that will only happen after the rescue operation is finished and the area is made safe.
@Andy Gibson: there’s no gas in mullingar or kells, would up be up that far?? Maybe LPG??
@Bart O Brien: Given the distribution of the debris – blocks from the apartment walls blown across the forecourt and road, rather than blown into the apartments – we can safely say that the explosion originated inside the apartments, but anything further would be speculation at this stage.
Terrible tragedy.
@pistachio 32: There are no natural gas lines in donegal. This must have come from a gas storage cylinder, often there are storage tanks about about 1000 to 2000kg of LPG. My mind wonders to the creche our little one is in who has such a tank.
Regardless to the source, RIP to all those lovely people
@pistachio 32: idiotic comment without compassion or sympathy.
@Rafa Condron: stop “guessing ” What difference does it make to wait for officials to determine facts.
G
@Type17: Why add to SPECULATION
@Philip Howlin: No speculation on my part, I’m sticking to what is plainly visible in the photos. PS: please stop arguing with other commenters, now is not the time.
@Philip Howlin: Its human nature to guess. Rafa made a very valid observation.
@pistachio 32: there is gas in Mayo and Sligo, why not Donegal?
@Paul Hedderman: Agree. It’s only natural to have perfectly valid concerns about future risk. If people weren’t alert to potential hazards, they wouldn’t be rare. My heart goes out to everyone there. I’m only surprised at news coverage that remarks on how silent it is at the site of the tragedy. I haven’t heard one intelligent journalist explain why. No doubt it’s vital to keep silence there to allow rescue workers to listen out for every sound.
@Type17: unless you have some expertise “safely say” is pure speculstion
@Paul Hedderman: Human nature comments are often cruel, ill informed wrong and only add to victims grief.
@Fiona Fitzgerald: news coverage scarce
out of respect for VICTIMS.
@Philip Howlin: I do have expertise and more than one relevant qualification, but I’m done arguing.
Terrible tragedy
R. I. P. Oh my goodness, I can’t even imagine the shock and trauma. God help the families :(
Beyond tragic… thoughts and prayers to all involved.
So sorry to hear this R.I.P.
Horrendous
My sympathy to all the people who have lost someone.
Terrible tragedy. RIP to all who have lost there lives.
RIP TO ALL THE VICTIMS. Such sad news from Creeslough.
Are they still in contact with people inside or are they out now?
Absolutely shocking tragedy. RIP to the victims and all their friends and family, and everyone affected by this devastating incident. Bravo to all those helping out there from emergency services both sides of the boarder, and all the volunteers. Can’t imagine what they’re all going through.
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