Creeslough explosion: Third night of vigils across north west

A photograph of the youngest victim of the explosion, five year-old Shauna Flanagan Garwe, was placed among candles at the Letterkenny vigil

Vigils are being held for the third night in a row following the explosion in Creeslough in County Donegal that killed 10 people.

The explosion happened at a service station in the village on Friday afternoon.

The close-knit community of about 400 people is coming to terms with an unprecedented scale of loss.

Candlelit vigils are being held across Donegal as well as in Guildhall Square in Londonderry.

At a vigil in Letterkenny, photographs of the victims were placed in Market Square and people were urged to talk about what happened.

The vigil was organised by the Letterkenny Community Development Project as a show of support to the families of those killed or injured.

Candles were lit in Derry on the steps of the Guildhall

Project director Gerry McMonagle said people needed to talk after the tragedy to process what had happened.

"This was an awful incident. I think the randomness of it, it could have happened to any one of us, and that brought it home to people," he said.

"In this crowd tonight, everyone will know someone who was affected by this, it is such a tight knit community, when one hurts we all hurt.

"That's why we're all here tonight in solidarity and sympathy with those families."

In Derry, 10 red candles were lit on the steps of the Guildhall, as Mayor Sandra Duffy paid tribute to the victims.

Ms Duffy reiterated there was a strong connection between the city and County Donegal while the Allegri choir sang its version of A Rose.

One of the vigils held in County Donegal on Monday evening was held in the village of Culdaff

An investigation is under way into the cause of the explosion, but police have said it appears to have been a tragic accident.

Tributes to those affected have been paid by the Pope, Irish president and neighbours.

On Monday, a statement from King Charles and the Queen Consort said they expressed their "most heartfelt sympathy and deepest condolences" to people who had lost loves ones and with "the people of Ireland".

The monarch said they had experienced the "strong sense of community" that exists in Donegal from their visit to the county in 2016.

'Lit up every room'

The first funerals of two of the victims, Jessica Gallagher, 24, from Creeslough, and Martin McGill, 49, who was originally from Scotland, will take place on Tuesday.

Miss Gallagher's aunt Dolores Gallagher said her niece was a "beautiful woman".

The 24-year-old had recently graduated from IFA [International Fashion Academy] Paris and was due to start her first fashion and design job in Belfast on Monday, Ms Gallagher told BBC Radio Foyle.

"She was lively, vibrant, and lit up every room she walked into.

"She was such a happy person and a hard worker - she wanted her life to make a difference in the field of fashion and art. She was so proud to belong to Creeslough."

The funeral of James O'Flaherty, from Sydney, Australia, will be held on Wednesday morning, followed by the funerals of Catherine O'Donnell and her son James Monaghan, from Creeslough, on Wednesday afternoon.

Mr O'Flaherty's coffin was removed from the Eternal Light Chapel of Rest in Letterkenny earlier.

He was accompanied by his wife Tracey and son Hamish.

'Everybody was amazing'

Leona Harper, who was 14, will be buried on Thursday.

Her parents described her as a "a little gem" and thanked the digger driver who found her body after a 24-hour search.

"A massive thank you to him because he just didn't stop until he got her," Donna Harper told Highland Radio.

"Twenty-four hours before we got her and she was the last taken out. The doctors and everything, everybody was amazing the way they treated the whole scene from start to finish with nothing more than respect."

Among the other victims of the blast were a five-year-old girl and two teenagers, while there are eight people still in hospital.

In Creeslough, like many villages in rural Ireland, everyone knows everyone.

The youngest victim, Shauna Flanagan Garwe was a "playful, energetic little girl" who always asked for a lollipop, according to Creeslough pharmacist Fergus Brennan.

She was with her father Robert, known as Bob to the villagers, when the explosion happened.

Speaking outside St Michael's Church before Mass on Monday, resident Majella Russell said "10 beautiful souls have gone to heaven".

Ms Russell, whose niece worked in the shop, said church services had been packed as "we just have to pray and be with each other".

"All we have is our faith, our faith will get us through," she said.

"We are just all numb, this is a very close community, it's just unbelievable what's happened."

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Butcher Patrick O'Donnell was working at the back of the shop when the explosion happened.

He was able to help an elderly woman from the scene but said local people "are the real heroes" for their rescue efforts.

"I'm praying for them as well because they went through a lot," he said.

The investigation into the cause of the blast is continuing

On Monday, the Irish Red Cross announced it had set up the Creeslough Community Support Fund to help those injured, bereaved, made homeless or who had lost an income.

A separate online appeal for donations to help people in the village has surpassed €250,000 (£219,000) in two days.

Everton FC captain and Republic of Ireland international Seamus Coleman, who is from Donegal, issued a statement on Monday night sending his sympathies to everyone affected by events in Creeslough.

"Having been born and raised in the county, I know first-hand how tight-knit the communities are," he said.

"The immediate reaction of the emergency services, local residents and passers-by who put themselves at risk to help others is an example of the spirit and togetherness of the entire county."

On Sunday, An Garda Síochána (the Irish police force) confirmed the names of the 10 victims, who were all from Creeslough or the surrounding areas.

Emergency crews from Northern Ireland were sent across the border on Friday to help their Irish counterparts deal with the aftermath.

Creeslough resident Anthony Gallagher spoke to two search-dog handlers from Northern Ireland who had been part of the rescue operation.

"They looked a little bit stressed out because they had been in doing all the hard work, and they came down the road for a walk or a break," he said.

"I had a conversation with them both - [it was a] difficult job and I thanked them for their help."

A man in his 20s who was injured in the explosion is critically ill in St James's Hospital in Dublin.

Seven other people who were hurt are in a stable condition in Letterkenny University Hospital.