Irish police said Saturday that 10 people, including two boys and a girl, were killed in an explosion at a gas station in County Donegal, northwest Ireland.

"The explosion occurred on Friday at about 15:20 (1420 GMT) in the village of Krislo and resulted in 10 deaths," a police official told a press conference.

"We don't expect other casualties," the official added, denying any information about missing persons.

He added, "The information we have at the moment points to a tragic accident," apparently ruling out the hypothesis of a deliberate act.

An aerial photo taken after the explosion showed the destroyed gas station building. Two two-storey apartment buildings located behind the station collapsed.

Kieran Gallagher, a resident of the neighborhood whose house is located about 150 meters from the scene of the accident, confirmed that the explosion made him believe it was a "bomb." "I was at home when I heard an explosion (...) It was something like a bomb," he told the BBC.

The emergency department worked through the night, while the rubble continued to be cleared Saturday.

Representatives of the Irish Police, Fire Department, Ambulance, Coast Guard and Air Ambulance Service from Northern Ireland, as well as a specialized team from the British Territory, were present in the area.

Letterkenny University Hospital, 24 km from the scene of the explosion, said it was on alert, explaining that it was treating "a number of people with various injuries."

- Damage and debris -

Irish Prime Minister Michael Martin said in a statement that his "thoughts and prayers today go out to those who lost their lives and those injured in this devastating explosion."

"The islanders, like the people of Chrislow, are shocked and saddened by this tragic loss of life," he said.

He thanked the emergency service personnel who worked "throughout the night in very painful conditions."

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConnalog, an official in the affected area's council, likened the scenes of devastation to those recorded during the conflict in Northern Ireland in the second half of the twentieth century.

"Scenes of damage and ruins are reminiscent of" photos of the past, he said.

For three decades, the conflict in Northern Ireland took place between Catholic nationalists, especially supporters of the reunification of the island of Ireland, and loyalists of the British crown, mostly Protestants.

This conflict resulted in the deaths of about 3,500 people.

The village of Creslow, about fifty kilometers from the border with Northern Ireland, has a population of about 400.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those who died and injured and the entire Chrislow community," the owner of Applegreen gas station wrote in a tweet.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins also expressed his "shock" in an official statement.

"This tragedy is a terrible blow to a cohesive society in which both members of the community and outside it feel every loss and injury," he said.