Death toll rises in Ireland gas station explosion

A major search operation is continuing in Ireland where authorities say at least seven people have been killed in an explosion at a gas station in a small village in the northwest of the country. Irish police said on Saturday four people were confirmed dead overnight, adding to the initial toll of three.

Eight people are in hospitals and several people are unaccounted for after a blast tore through the Applegreen service station in Creeslough, County Donegal. Emergency responders from Ireland and neighboring Northern Ireland are involved in the search and rescue operation. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin said it was one of the “darkest of days for Donegal and the entire country.”