Five-year-old girl among victims of Creeslough explosion
The incident took place in the small Co Donegal village on Friday.
A five-year-old girl and her father are among the 10 people named as victims of the devastating explosion at a petrol station in Ireland.
Police are continuing to investigate the blast that ripped through the Applegreen service station and convenience store in Creeslough, Co Donegal, on Friday afternoon.
Those who died were 48-year-old James O’Flaherty, 24-year-old Jessica Gallagher, 49-year-old Martin McGill, 39-year-old Catherine O’Donnell and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, 59-year-old Hugh Kelly, 49-year-old Martina Martin, 50-year-old Robert Garwe and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, and 14-year-old Leona Harper.
The seven other surviving casualties continue to receive treatment in Letterkenny University Hospital and remain in a stable condition.
Irish premier Micheal Martin has met those who were admitted to hospital, the medical team which was on duty on the day of the explosion, and members of Letterkenny fire station.
Meanwhile, Pope Francis has offered his condolences to the people of Creeslough in a statement sent by his representative to the Bishop of Raphoe.
It read: “His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy.
“As a pledge of strength and peace in the lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing to all the people of Ireland.”
The remains of the deceased are at the hospital in Letterkenny where post-mortem examinations will continue over the next few days.
The Garda Technical Bureau, with assistance from other agencies, will continue to examine the scene, which remains cordoned off.
He said: “They are all local people. They are all very much involved in the community. They were all people who were shopping in their local shop.
“But it is a very strong community as was seen here on Friday afternoon with the response of families, friends and neighbours who came to people’s rescue.
He said there were “very traumatic scenes” on Friday afternoon.
He said most of the police involved are local.
At Mass on Sunday in St Michael’s Church in Creeslough, Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian said the people of the village are “living through a nightmare of shock and horror”.
