At least three people were killed in a massive explosion at a gas station in rural Ireland.
On Friday afternoon, emergency responders rushed to Creeslough in Co Donegal after an explosion at a local petrol station rocked the quiet village.
In the hours that followed, rescuers rushed against time in search of survivors that might have been trapped underneath the rubble.
While rescue operations continued into the night for more than twelve hours without a stop, emergency responders have yet to secure the site after the explosion caused a nearby building to collapse.
So far, at least three people were already found dead, whereas officials fear that more people could be trapped in the wreckage.
Some of the injured victims of the blast were already taken to the hospital for treatment.
“At this time, An Garda Siochana can confirm there has been three fatalities as a result of this serious incident,” the Irish police force confirmed in a statement.
“This continues to be an ongoing operation and An Garda Siochana are not in a position to provide further information on casualties at this time.
“An Garda Siochana 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.”
The service also confirmed that the rescue operations are being led by the Donegal County Council Fire Service with help from “An Garda Siochana, the National Ambulance Service, Irish Coast Guard, the Coast Guard Rescue 118 Helicopter, Irish Air Corps Medivac 112, Northern Ireland Ambulance HEMS, Irish Community Air Ambulance (Ground Crew), Northern Ireland Urban Search and Rescue, Meavagh Fire Service, Donegal Mountain Rescue, Northern Ireland Ambulance Service HART team (Hazardous Area Response Team) and the Donegal County Council Civil Defence.point 763 |
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Meanwhile, officials said the explosion casts a dark cloud over the otherwise quiet and peaceful community, whereas the locals are said to be in a state of shock after the devastating incident.
As of this writing, the cause of the blast remains unclear and the investigation continues.
“It ripped right through this building, and this was a very busy location at that point in time,” Pearse Doherty, a member of the Irish parliament and Donegal county representative, expressed in a statement.
“There’s just quiet, it’s surreal. People are just holding on for hope, holding on to hear news, positive news coming from the emergency services.”
Our thoughts remain with the victims of the explosion and their families during these challenging times.
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