'It was like a bomb went off': Creeslough cafe manageress on a haunting Friday

The manageress of a Creeslough cafe has told how they have had to turn pledges of food away as the north Donegal town comes to terms with unimaginable devastation.

Friday afternoon felt routine for Siobhan Carr, the manageress of the Coffee Pod in Creeslough.

The cafe had its usual mix of customers and the clock was ticking down to closing time.

Suddenly, time stood still.

An explosion at the Applegreen service station on the opposite side of the N56 rocked the town to its core.

Ten people, including a little girl and two teenagers, have been confirmed dead with eight others hospitalised.

Breaking: Little girl among ten dead after Creeslough explosion

Four men, three women, two teenagers and a young girl have lost their lives following the explosion on Friday afternoon.

“It was like a bomb went off,” Siobhan told Donegal Live.

“We were just standing here when it happened.  We didn’t know what was going on. It was a real worry. Within a matter of seconds, people were rushing in to help.

“We were just winding down for the day. There were a few people in the shop with us and we just heard a bang. Everyone just ran to see what they could do to help.

“Everyone just ran to see what happened. No-one knew what had happened. People were just rushing around to see what they could do to help.  The community here is so good and so close.”

Locals who were on site instantly went to their knees and began digging through the rubble with their bare hands in frantic attempts to rescue people from the debris.

The Coffee Pod is on the Wild Atlantic Camp on the entrance to Creeslough. Glamping pods dot the immediate landscape.

Siobhan and her staff have been providing free refreshments for emergency service personnel, volunteers, media and others who have come to Creeslough in their droves.

“We’re just trying to give whatever comfort we can,” she said.

“Even if it is just coming in to sit down. Throughout the night, people were coming in all the time.

“People have sent in stuff from other towns and villages. We have been inundated from people around the country. We got to a stage where we had to turn food away.”