King Charles mourns victims of 'appallingly tragic' Creeslough explosion

King Charles has extended his condolences to the people of Ireland after the "appallingly tragic" explosion at a Co Donegal service station that killed 10 people. A 5-year-old girl and her father, who were buying a birthday cake, were among those who died in the devastating blast in the village of Creeslough on Friday afternoon. In a message to the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins, the king said his and the queen consort's sympathies were with those who have lost loved ones. "My wife and I were filled with immense sadness when we heard of that appallingly tragic explosion at Creeslough, Co Donegal," he said. "We remember with the greatest fondness meeting people from across Donegal when we visited in 2016 and the strong sense of community that exists there. "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, together with yourself and the people of Ireland." Earlier on Monday, a doctor said the death toll from the explosion could have been twice as high had the blast happened five minutes earlier. Village GP Dr Paul Stewart said a group of schoolchildren had been sitting on a wall of the service station and convenience store shortly before it was buried by falling rubble. Ireland's police force, An Garda Siochana, continues to investigate the cause of the blast, which is being treated as a "tragic accident". A gas leak is one theory, it is believed. "Apparently, five minutes before the explosion there were a group of school kids sitting on the wall outside," Dr Stewart told BBC Radio Ulster. "They had been on a day trip. Five minutes earlier and we could have been twice the death toll." Dr Stewart was involved in the emergency response in the aftermath of the blast. He was given the task of looking after the bodies of victims. "Sadly I was put in charge of the fatalities. We had to find a quiet building," he said. "And then I was involved in trying to identify them and bringing in family members, so that was very difficult. "One of the hard things, I think, to accept and come to terms with was that it was just out of the blue. You wake up in the morning and you don't come home in the evening, and that was very hard. "It's going to take us years to put this back together again. These wounds are going to take years to heal, if they ever do. This is the worst tragedy that's happened in Donegal in living memory." Those killed were Robert Garwe, 50, and his 5-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe, James O'Flaherty, 48, Jessica Gallagher, 24, Martin McGill, 49, Catherine O'Donnell, 39 and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan, Hugh Kelly, 59, Martina Martin, 49 and Leona Harper, 14. Funeral arrangements for some of the victims have already been announced. Speaking on Monday morning, a Creeslough priest said the heart of the village had been broken by a "tsunami of grief". Father John Joe Duffy said the community had experienced a "tidal wave" of condolences from across the world, including from figures such as Pope Francis and UK Prime Minister Liz Truss. Fr John said the bereaved relatives he had spoken to had expressed their gratitude for the people who rushed to the petrol station to help, as well as emergency services from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. "This is a quiet village and the heart of this village has been broken by a tsunami of grief," he told BBC News . "But we also know we are being held in the arms of communities right across both our islands — the United Kingdom and Ireland — and beyond, as far away as Australia, there was messages of prayers coming to us, and it's just like a tidal wave coming in. "Communities putting their arms around us and helping us — the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Pope Francis — and many others have sent us support. That's what's helping us at this time." Ms Truss expressed "deepest sympathies" for "the entire community of Creeslough".

King Charles mourns victims of 'appallingly tragic' Creeslough explosion

British monarch extends condolences to bereaved families after blast killed 10 at service station in Ireland