‘There is an eerie silence’: Search continues through rubble of Donegal petrol station explosion where 10 people were killed

A family picture flutters to the ground behind a garda cordon around Lafferty’s Service Station in Creeslough.

The facade of the first floor of the apartment building, which is occupied by young local families, has been ripped off in an explosion just after 3pm on a busy Friday afternoon.

Upon closer inspection, it’s possible to clearly see a bed, a bedside locker, a sofa and a picture on a wall in one of the homes.

The force was such that windows in nearby premises were also shattered.

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On Saturday morning, gardaí confirmed 10 people, including two teenagers and a young child, lost their lives in the tragedy. Many more are injured and some have yet to be recovered.

Lafferty’s Service Station is at the centre of all activity in the small village in Donegal and Friday afternoon is one of its busy days.

Schoolchildren finishing early, locals picking up some last minute groceries or visiting the post office, along with visitors from across the border in the North are usually here on a Friday afternoon. Lafferty’s, with its generous forecourt is an easy place to pull-in and grab some essentials or something quick from the deli.

Creeslough, as well as Portnablagh and Dunfanaghy, has been a destination for generations of visitors, many of whom have holiday homes or caravans in the area.

Until recent years, Creeslough lived in the shadow of its neighbouring villages but it has blossomed since coming out of the pandemic. Bicycles with flowerpots and a statute to one of its most famous residents, the late singer Bridie Gallagher, are talking points and picture opportunities for passersby.

A new ice-cream parlour as well as a luxury Wild Atlantic campsite has seen Creeslough become more than just a stopping off point along the way.

The nearby Ards Forest Park offers a stunning retreat for walkers as well as the local Ards Friary and Retreat Centre.

But the peace and tranquillity was shattered yesterday after the incident at the Applegreen Service Station.

As darkness fell, huge lights were brought in to illuminate the scene, highlighting the utter carnage by the as yet unexplained explosion even more

Immediately after the explosion, an airspace restriction was imposed over Creeslough as the injured were being airlifted from the scene. The Irish Coast Guard based at Howth set up a landing zone in the Phoenix Park to prepare for inbound helicopters from Mulroy Coast Guard in Co Donegal.

Emergency services from Northern Ireland assisted their colleagues from Donegal in the huge operation as a major emergency plan was activated at Letterkenny Hospital to received the injured.

Specialist digger equipment was called upon to help remove the rubble and throughout the day gingerly probed its way through slabs of fallen masonry to check for any survivors beneath.

Some people caught up in the explosion were able to make contact with family and friends using their mobile phones and the focus was on reaching them as quickly and as safely as possible.

Use the slider to see a before and after picture of the petrol station in Creeslough

On Friday night, locals gathered around the cordon set up by gardaí. Silent prayers were being said. Many had travelled to the scene simply to be with the people of Creeslough in their time of need.

The community instantly rallied around to help out in whatever way they could. Farmers with tractors or digging equipment were immediately on the scene to assist the recovery operation.

Sinn Féin TD and local representative Pearse Doherty was at the scene on Friday night and he described it as “absolutely appalling”.

“There is an eerie silence that is being broken by the machines slowly moving the rubble away trying to reach those who are still trapped,” he said.

The village pharmacy Brennan’s, in a post highlighting the importance of the supermarket and petrol station as a central point for the community, said it would be staying open late on Friday evening to offer support to anyone who needed it.

As darkness fell, huge lights were brought in to illuminate the scene highlighting the utter carnage by the as yet unexplained explosion even more.

In the coming days and weeks investigations will follow as to what caused this explosion.

But for now, the search continues through the rubble of a once thriving family business and this tragedy will no doubt have a lasting impact on this tight-knit local community.