A petrol station explosion in a small village in northwest Ireland on Saturday killed at least seven people and injured others, local police said.
Authorities confirmed a further four people died overnight after a blast destroyed the Applegreen petrol station in Creeslough, County Donegal, adding to the first three reported dead in the blast.
At least eight people were injured and are being treated at nearby hospitals, police said. An unknown number of people are still missing.
Emergency services work at the scene of an explosion at the Applegreen petrol station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal, Ireland, Saturday October 8, 2022. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)
The explosion also damaged neighboring buildings.
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Police continue to conduct “search and rescue” operations in the area to find those who are still missing.
“The search and recovery for additional casualties continues,” said An Garda Siochana, Ireland’s national police service, in a statement.
“Gardaí and the emergency services remain at the scene of an ongoing serious incident in Creeslough, Co Donegal,” the police service added in a separate statement. “The traffic diversions remain in place this morning. Road users intending to travel into the Creeslough area are asked to consider alternative routes until they learn otherwise.”
Emergency services work at the scene of an explosion at the Applegreen petrol station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal, Ireland, Saturday October 8, 2022. (Brian Lawless/PA via AP)
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Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin described the explosion and subsequent loss of life as a “very traumatic situation” and one of the “darkest days for Donegal and the whole country”.
“The people of this island will be stunned by the same sense of shock and utter devastation as the people of Creeslough at this tragic loss of life,” he said.
“My thoughts and prayers are with the entire Creeslough community tonight following today’s devastating explosion,” Martin said.
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Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue, who represents Donegal in the Irish Parliament, said people were “shocked and stunned” by the incident.
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“People have come together and everyone is concerned about the families of those who have lost loved ones and how to support them in the days to come,” he told Irish broadcaster RTE.
The cause of the explosion is still under investigation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.