The blast took place at a service station in Creeslough that destroyed the gas station and part of a nearby apartment block on the outskirts of the village in the country’s northernmost county.
An Garda Síochana - the Irish police force - reported that three deaths had been confirmed on Friday, with a further four overnight.
Seven people had been formally confirmed dead as of Saturday morning, but a further two deaths were announced by police, according to the Press Association.
Eight people have also been taken to hospital, and the major emergency services’ response at the site of the explosion has now become a recovery operation for possibly more bodies.
The incident took place at around 3.20pm local time (10.20a.m. E.T.) at an Applegreen gas station in the Irish village with a population of around 400.
Emergency services attended the scene, including firefighters from both sides of the border - Creeslough is about 30 miles from Northern Ireland, which is part of the U.K. - as well as the Irish police and civil defense.
Some of the injured were airlifted by coastguard helicopter from Letterkenny University Hospital in County Donegal to the Irish capital, Dublin, for treatment.
Taoiseach Micheál Martin, the Irish prime minister, had said that it was likely more deaths will be confirmed.
“The shocking toll is at seven, and there will be more. That’s what we are being told,” Martin said, before the latest update.
“It’s a search operation now, and we just hope and pray,” the prime minister said. “The people in the vicinity have a lot of anxiety and stress. They are waiting, and waiting for news.”
Local parish priest Father John Joe Duffy spoke about the tragedy at a mass in Creeslough village on Saturday morning, according to Ireland’s national broadcaster, RTÉ.
Duffy said there was “terrible grief and sadness beyond words in our hearts this morning. Our community has been a great source of support and strength to those directly impacted by the terrible tragedy, and it will continue to be that support.”
Applegreen, owners of the gas station that exploded, wrote in a statement on Twitter on Friday that they were “saddened & shocked to learn the devastating news that lives have been lost in today’s tragic incident at Creeslough in Co Donegal.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families & friends of the deceased, those who have been injured, and the wider Creeslough community,” the tweet added.
Newsweek has asked the Irish police for comment.
Update 10/08/22 07.30a.m. E.T.: This article was updated to include more information and a new headline.
