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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Hollie Bone

Irish petrol station blast GoFundMe hits £132k as thousands raised for victims' families

All 10 victims who perished in an explosion at an Irish petrol station have been named as over £132,000 (€150,000) has been raised in their memory.

The tragedy unfolded at the Applegreen fuel garage on Friday afternoon at around 3.20pm in Creeslough, Co Donegal, Ireland.

A 'freak accident' is thought to have triggered an explosion in the gas cylinder of a nearby apartment, causing the blast which has claimed 10 lives.

At a press conference on Sunday, police named all 10 of the victims killed in the incident, including the youngest victim, five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe.

Now a GoFundMe page launched by a Creeslough native, based in Australia, has also raised €157,943 for the victims families.

Crews bags up the debris at Applegreen service station (REUTERS)

Gerard McFadden, who calls the small village his hometown, but now lives in Brisbane, said waking up to the news on Friday was "devastating".

He wrote: "I woke up this morning to the devastating news that an explosion in Applegreen garage has claimed multiple fatalities and injury’s in my home town of Creeslough Co Donegal Ireland.

"I would like to raise as much funds as possible to help the families of the deceased and injured through these challenging times ahead."

The first victim to be named was 14-year-old talented rugby player, Leona Harper, who had been buying ice cream with her friend after school, ahead of a sleepover.

Leona Harper (PA)
Jessica Gallagher (PA)

Only one of them came out alive.

He dad Hugh said: "The past 24 hours have been nothing short of hell.

"Unfortunately Leona was in the explosion in Cresslough and she didn't survive, along with nine others."

Five-year-old Shauna and her dad Robert Garwe, 50, had walked into the shop, moments before the blast, to buy a birthday cake for her mum.

Shauna Flanagan Garwe, 5 (PA)
Robert Garwe, 50 (PA)

The family had moved to the leafy village from Johannesburg, South Africa.

Shauna's little brother attended a vigil for the victims on Saturday night.

Another mum, Catherine O'Donnell, and her son James Monaghan, 13, died as they nipped to the shop together after school had finished for the week.

Catherine O'Donnell, 39, and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan (PA)
James O'Flaherty (PA)

Dad, James O'Flaherty, 49, was another victim named on Sunday, alongside farmer, Hugh Kelly, 59, and Martin McGill, 59.

Shopworker, Martina Martin, 49 and design student, Jessica Gallagher, 23, were also killed.

Jessica, had only just returned to her hometown of Creeslough after a stint living in Paris.

She had walked into the garage with her boyfriend but died as a result of her injuries.

Martina Martin (PA)
Martin McGill (PA)

He was airlifted to hospital in Dublin to be treated for serious burns.

Another seven casualties were rushed to local Letterkenny University Hospital where staff had declared a major incident overnight on Friday.

Police said they were still there recovering.

Brave locals rushed in to help and formed a 'human chain' to clear debris as they could hear cries for help beneath the rubble.

Hugh Kelly (PA)
JJ McGowan, National Ambulance Service chief ambulance officer for the north-west region, speaks to the media about the Creeslough service station explosion (PA)

They were pushed back following fears of further collapse and the presence of gas, but sniffer dogs and a crane were brought to the scene in a bid to rescue all survivors.

By Saturday afternoon, Irish Police confirmed the death toll had reached 10.

Other people caught up in the blast were airlifted to hospital for serious burns injuries and broken bones.

The tragedy has been described as one of the "darkest days" for Ireland as hotels and local businesses rushed to offer up provisions for rescue crews and affected families.

Exhausted rescue teams worked around the clock and 'dug with their bare hands' to save people (PA)

Local cafes provided hot meals and drinks for emergency services and families stood at the cordon fearing the worst for their relatives caught up in the explosion.

Hotels announced that they were no longer taking bookings so they could provide free rooms to any families in need.

On Friday night, all machinery was switched off and the crowds were asked to fall silent as the experts tried to listen for anyone else trapped beneath the rubble.

By Saturday morning, the operation had become a search and recovery mission as experts feared that no more survivors would be found.

You can add a donation to the GoFundMe for the victims' families here

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