Instantly I knew it was something - it was like a bomb going off," he told the BBC.Īt a service at the local church on Saturday morning, Father John Joe Duffy said the community had been hit by "a tsunami of grief". "I was in my house at the time and heard the explosion. Resident Kieran Gallagher, whose house is about 150 metres (500 feet) from the scene, said the blast sounded like a "bomb". Two two-storey residential buildings behind had collapsed, while the facade of a similar adjacent building was blown off. Rescue efforts by Ireland's emergency services went on through the night after the blast ripped through a petrol station forecourt and a nearby apartment complex.Īn aerial photograph taken after the explosion showed the petrol station building destroyed. Police are treating the incident with an "open mind", but said that "our information at this moment in time is pointing towards a tragic accident."įocus will turn to the causes of the incident once the search and recovery operation is completed.
"The ten casualties are four men, three women, two teenagers - a boy and a girl - and a younger girl," said police, adding that all the victims appeared to be locals.īased on current information, it is not expected that there will be any further casualties and there are no outstanding reports of unaccounted for persons, said the force.
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