The explosion happened a little after 3:00 in the afternoon local time in a very crowded place.
At least three people have died in Ireland on Friday in an explosion at a gas station in County Donegal, Irish police told news agency Reuters by. Rescuers are working through the night to find survivors at the scene.
The explosion happened shortly after 3pm local time at the Applegreen petrol station on the outskirts of the village of Creeslough.
Sinn Féin politician Pearse Doherty said the Irish Broadcasting Corporation for RTÉ at the scene that it was a “devastating explosion in a very crowded place”. The police did not say the cause of the explosion in a statement released late on Friday. No further information was given about the victims either.
In an explosion the injured were taken to Letterkenny University Hospital, which launched the Donegal Daily, a local newspaper by extensive emergency protocol. The hospital said it was treating several injured people after the explosion, and appealed to people not to come to the emergency room except in emergencies.
Photos taken from the scene showed that the walls of the apartments above the gas station store had exploded and the roof had partially collapsed.
The Irish Coast Guard said a helicopter in the vicinity was assisting rescuers. In addition, a special rescue team from nearby Northern Ireland was sent to the scene.
Doherty said the explosion could be heard for miles, and hours later people were still trapped inside the building.
According to Doherty, the gas station in question is the only shop in the village. The building also housed a post office and a hair salon.
“Everyone is hoping for the best, but this was a devastating explosion, it tore right through this building at a very busy time,” Doherty said.
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