Taoiseach meets people injured in Creeslough petrol station blast

By Gráinne Ní Aodha, PA

Taoiseach Micheál Martin has met those who were injured in a devastating explosion at a petrol station in Co Donegal.

During his visit to Letterkenny University Hospital on Sunday morning, which lasted over an hour and a half, the Taoiseach met with the medical team who were on duty on the day of the blast in Creeslough.

Some of the hospital staff are understood to have known some of the victims of the blast.

The Taoiseach also met members of the hospital’s mortuary team in the aftermath of the harrowing incident that claimed the lives of 10 people, including a five-year-old girl.

The remains of the deceased are at the hospital in Letterkenny, where post-mortem examinations will continue over the coming days.

Mr Martin also met with chief fire officer Joseph McTaggart and other members of Letterkenny fire station, who were among the first responders to the site on Friday afternoon.

Gardaí said first responders arrived to a “confused” scene in the aftermath of the explosion at the village’s main shop.

“It was a very confused scene and there was a lot of debris, there were traumatised people already at the scene,” Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said.

“Our colleagues will be provided with counselling services to deal with tragic circumstances.”

Tributes have been paid to the emergency services who responded to the scene, as well as the cross-community response to the blast, which Gardai are currently treating as a “tragic accident”.

Accompanying Mr Martin were Minister for Agriculture and Donegal TD Charlie McConalogue and Tánaiste Leo Varadkar.