10 Dead, Including 2 Teens And 1 Child, In Gas Station Station Blast
By Jason Hall
October 9, 2022
Ten people, including a child and two teenagers, have died in relation to a gas station explosion in a small northwest Ireland village over the weekend, the Associated Press reports.
The incident took place at an Applegreen service station in Creeslough, County Donegal on Friday (October 7) and Irish police said the death toll rose to 10 on Saturday (October 8), with all people reported missing now accounted for following a "search and recovery" operation.
The victims included four men, three women, two teenagers and a young girl. Eight others were hospitalized, including one person reported to be in critical condition, according to the AP.
Police Superintendent David Kelly said the cause of the blast "is pointing toward a tragic accident," via the AP.
The explosion resulted in the gas station building, which holds the main shop and local post office, being leveled and caused damage to a nearby apartment building.
“There were blocks thrown a hundred yards away from the scene,” local medic Dr. Paul Stewart told Irish broadcaster RTE via the AP. “The whole front of the building collapsed… and the roof of the first floor collapsed down into the shop. It’s a miracle they got anyone out.”
Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin called the explosion one of the “darkest of days for Donegal and the entire country.”