King Charles has offered his condolences after 10 people died in an explosion at a petrol station in the Irish county of
Donegal over the weekend.
In a message to Irish President Michael D Higgin released on Monday, the monarch said: "My wife and I were filled with immense sadness when we heard of that appallingly tragic explosion at Creeslough, County Donegal."
"However inadequate this may be under such shattering circumstances, we wanted you to know that our most heartfelt sympathy and deepest condolences are with those families and friends who have lost their loved ones in this devastating tragedy."
The King's letter also recalled a visit to Donegal as Prince of Wales in 2016 with "great fondness", paying tribute the "strong sense of community that exists there".
The 10 people killed in the tragedy in the village of Creeslough on Saturday included four men, three women, two teenagers, and a girl of primary school age, according to local police.
Among those killed was five-year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe, who had gone with dad Robert Garwe, 50, to buy her mum a birthday cake from the shop when they were caught in the explosion.
Paying tribute, one local pharmacist described her as "a playful, energetic little girl" who "always asked for a lollipop”. She had started at a local school only a few weeks earlier.
Another victim was 14-year-old Leona Harper, who had visited Creeslough for a sleepover at her friend's house. She is understood to have been buying an ice cream in the shop at the time.
The cause of the explosion at the Applegreen Service Station in County Donegal, Ireland, is believed to be a "freak" accident, with one local theory suggesting a gas leak could be responsible.
A witness who arrived 10 minutes after the blast described the scene as "pure panic", and explained how heroic locals formed a human chain to lift the concrete and debris to try to free those trapped underneath.
He said: "We could hear shouts of 'help' coming from the people trapped inside. There was a man's voice and woman's voice.
"We got one young girl out. She looked to be around 15 or 16 years of age and was quite badly injured, she had a lot of blood on her face. She could walk but was very shaky and she kept on saying 'my friend is still in there'."
In a news conference on Sunday, Gardai said the victims are James O Flaherty, 48, Jessica Gallagher, 24, Martin McGill, 49, Catherine O Donnell, 39, and her son James Monaghan, 13, Hugh Kelly, 59, Martina Martin, 49, Robert Garwe, 50, and his daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, aged five, and 14-year-old Leona Harper.
