At least three dead after the explosion of a service station in Ireland

Oct. 8 () –

At least three people have died and several have been injured this Friday after an explosion occurred at a service station in the Irish town of Creeslough, in Donegal, in the northwest of the country.

Around 3:20 p.m., a service station was blown up, also causing the collapse of a nearby apartment block and others that were seriously damaged, according to the local newspaper ‘Irish Examiner’.

In addition to the three dead people, dozens of people have been taken to hospital, while the emergency services have gone there to rescue the victims who could have been trapped under the rubble.

Likewise, several specialized excavation teams and sniffer dogs have come to the area to collaborate in the rescue.

“The rescue teams will continue to work through the night to search for people who may have been buried under the rubble,” announced a spokesman for the Garda Síochána -Irish Police-, who admitted that they fear more deaths will be confirmed in the coming hours. .

He has also assured that the troops continue to work at the scene and for the moment they cannot provide information on the causes that have produced this incident, the aforementioned newspaper has reported.

Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheal Martin has said his “thoughts and prayers” are with the community of Creeslough and the rescue teams working there. For his part, the Vice President of the Government, Leo Varadkar, has described what happened as “terrible news”.

Letterkenny University Hospital, where the injured are being treated, has initiated an emergency plan and advised other citizens not to go to the emergency department tonight. “Contact your GP first or contact the NowDoc service – a nearby hospital -“, a spokesman for the center has indicated.

Air traffic over the blast site has also been restricted to facilitate access by rescue helicopters throughout the night. The roads to that town have also been cordoned off and the Police have invited drivers to use alternative routes.