Ten people have now been confirmed dead in a petrol station explosion in Co Donegal, Irish police have said.
The explosion happened at the Applegreen Service Station on the outskirts of the village of Creeslough, County Donegal, Ireland, just after 3pm on Friday.
Early reports confirmed that at least three people were dead and others were injured or trapped inside the wreckage, but police said the death toll has now risen to ten.
A major emergency was declared at the nearby hospital as pictures showed the main part of the building, which also contains apartments and a shop, has been severely damaged by the blast.
Last night, sniffer dogs were brought to the rubble in a bid to find people still stuck under the debris, while injured people were being airlifted from the scene.
Cars that had been lined up on the forecourt laid damaged by falling debris, while onlookers stood and watched, stunned by the destruction.
Emergency vehicles, including fire brigades and ambulances, swarmed the scene but the cause of the explosion has not yet been confirmed.
Irish premier Micheal Martin said it was the "darkest of days" for Donegal and Ireland.
"My thoughts and prayers are today with those who have lost their lives, and those injured in the devastating explosion in Creeslough," said the Taoiseach.
"I wish to express my deepest sympathies to their family, and friends, and to the entire community of Creeslough, on this darkest of days for Donegal and the entire country.
"People across this island will be numbed by the same sense of shock and utter devastation as the people of Creeslough at this tragic loss of life.
"I would like to thank all the members of the emergency services, from across the North-West and Northern Ireland, who responded so quickly to the scene, and who are working throughout the night in extremely traumatic circumstances."
Mr Martin also said he expects the death toll to rise as it turns to a search and recovery effort.
"It's very difficult for the families concerned in the community. We are with them and will be with them for the time ahead," he said.
"A shocking toll and there will be more, and it's a search operation now and we hope and pray.
"It has been a very, very terrible 24 hours for them as news of this explosion arrived.
"There was people in the vicinity. They've had a lot of anxiety and stress and they're waiting and waiting for news.
"The (emergency) services, and I've been talking to them, have been really, really courageous and have given great support.
"Many families will go through and are going through a terrible trauma right now and we have to rally around and I know the community will rally around, I know all the people in the vicinity of the community that will rally around."
Following the confirmation of three fatalities yesterday, Irish Police said another four had died overnight and two more on Saturday.
A further eight people have been rescued and rushed to hospital.
A major emergency response operation involving first responders from both sides of the Irish border extended through the night and continued on Saturday morning.
Rubble was being moved on to trailers and hauled from the scene.
Two rescue workers were on a raised platform above the site of the explosion and a digger was working through the debris.
Among those gathered at the cordon on Friday night were relatives of people believed to have been in the buildings at the time.
At one point on Friday night all machinery was turned off and onlookers were asked to remain silent as rescue workers attempted to detect survivors beneath the debris.
The President of Ireland Michael D Higgins expressed his shock at the "terrible tragedy".
"All of our thoughts must go out to all of those who have been affected," he said.
"Those who have received news of the loss of a loved one, those injured and, most of all, those who are waiting with anxiety for news of their loved ones.
"This tragedy is a terrible blow to a community that is closely knit and where every loss and injury will be felt by every member of the community and far beyond."
The Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) said its crews are assisting emergency services at the scene of the explosion in Cresslough.
In a tweet it said: “NIAS crews, including HEMS, are currently assisting our colleagues in ROI Nat Amb Service and other 999 services at the scene of an explosion in Creeslough.
“Our thoughts are with all the emergency response teams at the scene and those who were caught in the explosion.”
County football matches have also been called off as a mark of respect, the Donegal GAA confirmed.
Local priest John Joe Duffy said the community was "numb and devastated".
"We're just broken-hearted, everyone is broken-hearted, we're lost for words," he told the PA news agency at the scene.
"What I'm appealing for is for the prayers of the people across this county and across the country, to pray for us, to help us and to give us strength to get through these difficult hours and difficult days that may lay ahead."
Donegal TD Joe McHugh said friends and families of people feared missing were going through a very difficult waiting period.
"We're just waiting here, my sympathies and thoughts are with a lot of families here and their friends and loved ones, there is a very difficult waiting period now," he told PA.
Multiple emergency service vehicles remain at the scene.