Ten died in large gas station explosion in Ireland

Irish police say it was likely a "tragic accident" which led to the explosion of a gas station in Creeslough, Ireland, last Friday.

The explosion at the Applegreen service station in the County Donegal village of Creeslough occured on Friday October 7.   

According to an article by the BBC, ten people were killed in the explosion. Four men, three women, two teenagers and a younger girl were killed, based on information provided by Irish police. 

Seven people who were injured in the explosion are reported to be in stable condition in hospital in nearby Letterkenny. Another person is allegedly critically injured in the burns unit of a hospital in Dublin.

The explosion also destroyed the building and a section of an apartment block. Police say the evidence gathered so far suggested it was a tragic accident. 

What may have caused the explosion?

Experts are now trying to determine the recent history of any works carried out by contractors at the apartments and service station, according to the Independent.

The Irish Mirror wrote in an article on October 12  that investigators hope these documents will give investigators the ability  "to piece together what gas and electricity systems were contained in the building and ultimately find what caused the explosion".

Allegedly, a gas leak remains the most likely cause of the explosion. Investigators are trying to establish if a mobile gas source could have been on site at the time.

An entire nation in grief over accident in a very small, rural town 

Creeslough is a small village in the north-west of Ireland, about 15 miles (24km) from Letterkenny and 30 miles (48km) from the border of Northern Ireland.

The village only has a population of around 400 people.

Photo Credit: (Above) Scene of the explosion in Creeslough, Donegal, Ireland, which occurred on 7 October 2022. Photo: BBC / Wikipedia Fair Use license