Three people were killed in an explosion at a service station in County Donegal on Friday, Irish police said, as rescuers kept working overnight to find survivors.
Sinn Fein lawmaker Pearse Doherty said on the scene it was "a devastating explosion" in "a very busy location." Police did not address the cause of the explosion in a statement released late on Friday, and they said they were not yet in a position to provide further information on casualties.
The injured were ferried to Letterkenny University Hospital, which said it had triggered a major emergency protocol and was dealing with a number of injured people following the incident.
The explosion happened shortly after 3 p.m. local time at an Applegreen service station on the outskirts of the village of Creeslough, which is around 25 kilometres (16 miles) from the town of Letterkenny.
Photographs from the scene showed a residential unit above the service station’s store with walls blown out and a partially collapsed roof, and debris scattered across the forecourt where several cars were parked.
The Irish Coast Guard said its nearby helicopter assisted the emergency services and a specialist rescue team was sent to the scene from nearby Northern Ireland.
Doherty said the "massive explosion" was heard from miles around and hours later people were still trapped inside the building with some making contact with the emergency services outside.
He said the service station was the only shop in the village, also housing the post office and hairdressers.
"Everyone is hoping for the best but this is a devastating explosion, it's ripped right through this building and this was a very busy location at that point in time," he told national broadcaster RTE from the scene.
(Reporting by Graham FahyEditing by Frances Kerry and David Gregorio)
