A five-year-old girl who was buying her mum a birthday cake was among the victims killed in an Irish petrol station blast. Three children and seven adults died in the 'freak accident' gas explosion shortly after 3pm on Friday at Applegreen Service Station in Creeslough, Co Donegal.
Shauna Flanagan Garwe, 5, believed to be the youngest victim, and her dad Robert Garwe, 50 were reportedly looking for a birthday cake for the mother when they lost their lives just moments after entering the station shop.
The second youngster victim, Leona Harper, 14, was also killed in the blast while buying ice cream for a sleepover at a friends house in Creeslough. Her devastated brother, Anthony Harper, paid heartfelt tribute to the young rugby star on Facebook last night. He wrote: "I don't no where to begin, Leona I couldn't of asked for a better little sister.
"You would go mad for me putting this up of you now because it's an old picture of you. Leona I love you so much and we all love you so much xx"
Letterkenny Rugby Club also paid tribute to the "talented player" saying their "worst fears" had been confirmed following the news of her death. Leona had entered the shop with a friend to get treats before their sleepover after finishing the week at school.
A family friend told the Irish Mail on Sunday: "The two girls went into the shop. The plan was that Leona would go to her pal’s house on a sleepover.
"They went in to get an ice cream. Leona was found yesterday at the ice cream fridge in the shop and her friend was found at the door into the shop.
"She was blown out of the shop and onto the doorstep by the blast. Leona’s pal was found in the rubble and one of her legs is broken."
Other victims include a mum and her son, who went together to the shops after school, but never made it home. Catherine O’Donnell, and her 13-year-old son James were named locally, as residents and politicians described the horror as one of the 'darkest days' for Ireland.
Jessica Gallagher, 23, a designer who had only recently moved back to Creeslough, her hometown, after several years living in Paris, was also among the 10 people killed in the explosion. Her boyfriend was airlifted to a hospital in Dublin where he is being treated for severe burns, MailOnline reports.
The brother of the five-year-old girl, the youngest victim, was among those who kept a vigil at the site of the explosion yesterday. It is understood they moved to the picturesque Donegal village about a year ago with other members of their family.
Residents and relatives of those feared to have been caught up in the blast were stood at the cordon while rescue teams worked around the clock to pull people from the wreckage. Locals had described how they formed a "human chain" to clear debris and rescue a teenage girl, but were unable to save her friend.
When emergency crews arrived, the presence of gas and further collapse pushed the locals back and expert teams moved in to take over. On Friday night eight people were rescued and rushed to hospital, as local Letterkenny University Hospital declared a major incident.
Rescuers had dug through the rubble "with their bare hands", used sniffer dogs to identify people still trapped, and used a crane to move debris. At one point on Friday, all machinery was switched off and crowds at the scene fell silent as they tried to listen out for cries for help from beneath the wreck.
Irish premier Micheal Martin said: 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.
"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.
"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.
"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."
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