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Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin has said the entire nation is mourning 10 people killed in a devastating explosion at a petrol station, as more details of the victims emerged.

The blast at the service station in Creeslough, Co Donegal, on Friday, claimed the lives of four men, three women, two teenagers – a boy and a girl – and a girl of primary school age.

Teenage rugby player Leona Harper has been named as among those killed.

Letterkenny Rugby Club paid tribute to the “talented rugby player” and an “important part of our U14 girls’ team” in a post on their Facebook page.

The club said: “We are heartbroken to say our worst fears have been confirmed… to Leona’s parents, Hugh and Donna, her brothers Anthony and Jamie, and all of her team mates, we offer you our deepest condolences and support.

“There are no words that feel strong enough at a moment of deep sorrow such as this.

“Rest in peace, Leona.”

Jessica Gallagher, who was understood to have been in her early 20s; shop worker Martina Martin; Catherine O’Donnell and her son James; and Hughie Kelly, have all been named locally as among those who died in the blast.

Four others, including a girl of primary school age, were also killed.

Eight people injured in the explosion remained in hospital on Saturday.

Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin also pledged support to help the community get through the "enormous trauma".
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Irish Prime Minister Micheal Martin pledged support to help the community get through the ‘enormous trauma’

The explosion is being treated as a “tragic accident” by Irish police.

Mr Martin visited the site and spoke to members of the emergency services who had worked for 24 hours to locate victims following the explosion. The lengthy search and recovery operation concluded on Saturday afternoon.

He said there was “deep sadness” in the village and a “terrible silence” reflecting the enormity of what has happened.

“The entire nation is mourning and deeply saddened.

“A young child in the shop and two teens, as well as men and women who were going about their lives as well.

“It is a very close-knit community and our heart goes out to them.”

Pic: North West Newspix
Image:
Pic: North West Newspix

The Taoiseach added: “Talking to those on the front line and everyone involved, they were very moved by the extraordinary support they got from the community here almost immediately.

“Many volunteers rushed to the scene to try and do everything they could to help because it was an horrific scene they came upon and we must always remember our emergency services.

“I want to thank them for helping those who were trapped and injured. We must do everything we can to support the community.

“Words on their own will not console someone who has lost a loved one and we have to be with them. We will be with them for quite some time.”

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Donegal blast was ‘freak accident’

Sinn Fein president Mary Lou McDonald, the leader of Ireland’s main opposition party, also visited Creeslough on Saturday evening, as did the country’s deputy premier, Tanaiste Leo Varadkar.

Disaster-hit community wrestles with ‘tsunami of grief’


David Blevins - Senior Ireland correspondent

David Blevins

Senior Ireland correspondent

@skydavidblevins

It would be difficult to exaggerate the sense of shock in Creeslough.

This tiny, picturesque village in County Donegal is attempting to comprehend an enormous tragedy.

There is an eerie silence, people numbed by what has happened here.

Parish priest, Father John Joe Duffy, told me he was dealing with “a tsunami of grief”.

He has been providing pastoral support to the bereaved and those still waiting for news.

The petrol station was a community hub and would have been packed at the time of the explosion.

Local people were digging through the rubble in an attempt to rescue those trapped when help arrived.

Fire and ambulance services from Northern Ireland crossed the border to assist their colleagues.

People have been arriving with hot food for emergency teams delicately searching the debris.

One local politician said: “We are seeing the best of this community as it faces its worst day.”

The political leaders later joined emergency service members and local residents for a service for the victims at a nearby church.

Parish priest Fr John Joe Duffy told the Mass: “Our hearts are indeed broken, we all sense a numbness, a disbelief that we are really experiencing this tragedy, that it is real.

“The grief we see in the young and in the old shows that this is a family that cares for each other, a genuine community.

“We suffer the loss, we all sense the pain.

“The days ahead will be difficult days. I wish there was some easier way, but unfortunately there is not.

“However, the strength of our community will carry us.”

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Donald Trump says tariffs will be cut after ‘amazing’ meeting with Xi Jinping

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Donald Trump says tariffs will be cut after 'amazing' meeting with Xi Jinping

Donald Trump has described crucial trade talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping as “amazing” – and says he will visit Beijing in April.

The leaders of the world’s two biggest economies met in South Korea as they tried to defuse growing tensions – with both countries imposing aggressive tariffs on exports since the president’s second term began.

Catch up on Trump-Xi meeting

Aboard Air Force One, Mr Trump confirmed tariffs on Chinese goods exported to the US will be reduced, which could prove much-needed relief to consumers.

It was also agreed that Beijing will work “hard” to stop fentanyl flowing into the US.

Semiconductor chips were another issue raised during their 100-minute meeting, but the president admitted certain issues weren’t discussed.

“On a scale of one to 10, the meeting with Xi was 12,” he told reporters en route back to the US.

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‘Their handshake was almost a bit awkward’

Xi a ‘tough negotiator’, says Trump

The talks conclude a whirlwind visit across Asia – with Mr Trump saying he was “too busy” to see Kim Jong Un.

However, the president said he would be willing to fly back to see the North Korean leader, with a view to discussing denuclearisation.

Mr Trump had predicted negotiations with his Chinese counterpart would last for three or four hours – but their meeting ended in less than two.

The pair shook hands before the summit, with the US president quipping: “He’s a tough negotiator – and that’s not good!”

It marks the first face-to-face meeting between both men since 2019 – back in Mr Trump’s first term.

Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Pic: AP
Image:
Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. Pic: AP

There were signs that Beijing had extended an olive branch to Washington ahead of the talks, with confirmation China will start buying US soybeans again.

American farmers have been feeling the pinch since China stopped making purchases earlier this year – not least because the country was their biggest overseas market.

Chinese stocks reached a 10-year high early on Thursday as investors digested their meeting, with the yuan rallying to a one-year high against the US dollar.

Analysis: A fascinating power play

Sky News Asia correspondent Helen-Ann Smith – who is in Busan where the talks took place – said it was fascinating to see the power play between both world leaders.

She said: “Trump moved quickly to dominate the space – leaning in, doing all the talking, even responding very briefly to a few thrown questions.

“That didn’t draw so much as an eyebrow raise from his counterpart, who was totally inscrutable. Xi does not like or respond well to unscripted moments, Trump lives for them.”

Read more from Sky News:
US cuts interest rates as inflation fears ease
Is Trump preparing for war with Venezuela?

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Will Trump really run for a third term?

On Truth Social, Mr Trump had described the summit as a gathering of the “G2” – a nod to America and China’s status as the world’s two biggest economies.

While en route to see President Xi, he also revealed that the US “Department of War” has now been ordered to start testing nuclear weapons for the first time since 1992.

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Tens of thousands killed in two days in Sudan city, analysts believe

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Tens of thousands killed in two days in Sudan city, analysts believe

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the Sudanese city of Al Fashir by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in a two-day window after the paramilitary group captured the regional capital, analysts believe.

Sky News is not able to independently verify the claim by Yale Humanitarian Labs, as the city remains under a telecommunications blackout.

Stains and shapes resembling blood and corpses can be seen from space in satellite images analysed by the research lab.

Al Fashir University. Pic: Airbus DS/2025
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Al Fashir University. Pic: Airbus DS/2025

Al Fashir University. Pic: Airbus DS/2025
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Al Fashir University. Pic: Airbus DS/2025

Nathaniel Raymond, executive director of Yale Humanitarian Labs, said: “In the past 48 hours since we’ve had [satellite] imagery over Al Fashir, we see a proliferation of objects that weren’t there before RSF took control of Al Fashir – they are approximately 1.3m to 2m long which is critical because in satellite imagery at very high resolution, that’s the average length of a human body lying vertical.”

Mini Minawi, the governor of North Darfur, said on X that 460 civilians have been killed in the last functioning hospital in the city.

The Sudan Doctors Network has also shared that the RSF “cold-bloodedly killed everyone they found inside Al Saudi Hospital, including patients, their companions, and anyone else present in the wards”.

World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was “appalled and deeply shocked” by the reports.

Satellite images support the claims of a massacre at Al Saudi Hospital, according to Mr Raymond, who said YHL’s report detailed “a large pile of them [objects believed to be bodies] against a wall at one building at Saudi hospital. And we believe that’s consistent with reports that patients and staff were executed en masse”.

In a video message released on Wednesday, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo acknowledged “violations in Al Fashir” and claimed “an investigation committee should start to hold any soldier or officer accountable”.

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Army soldiers ‘fled key Sudan city’ before capture

The Saudi Maternity Hospital in Al Fashir. Pic: Airbus DS /2025 via AP
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The Saudi Maternity Hospital in Al Fashir. Pic: Airbus DS /2025 via AP

The commander is known for committing atrocities in Darfur in the early 2000s as a Janjaweed militia leader, and the RSF has been accused of carrying out genocide in Darfur 20 years on.

Sources have told Sky News the RSF is holding doctors, journalists and politicians captive, demanding ransoms from some families to release their loved ones.

One video shows a man from Al Fashir with an armed man kneeling on the ground, telling his family to pay 15,000. The currency was not made clear.

In some cases, ransoms have been paid, but then more messages come demanding that more money be transferred to secure release.

Muammer Ibrahim, a journalist based in the city, is currently being held by the RSF, who initially shared videos of him crouched on the ground, surrounded by fighters, announcing his hometown had been captured under duress.

Read more:
Key Sudan city falls – what does this mean for the war?
‘Massacre’ kills more than 50, including children

200,000 trapped after army flees

He is being held incommunicado as his family scrambles to negotiate his release. Muammer courageously covered the siege of Al Fashir for months, enduring starvation and shelling.

The Committee to Protect Journalists regional director Sara Qudah said the abduction of Muammar Ibrahim “is a grave and alarming reminder that journalists in Al Fashir are being targeted simply for telling the truth”.

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At least 30 killed after ‘unprecedented’ Hurricane Melissa ravages through Caribbean

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At least 30 killed after 'unprecedented' Hurricane Melissa ravages through Caribbean

At least 30 people have died after Hurricane Melissa tore through the Caribbean on Wednesday.

The Red Cross said early indications show the storm has been a “disaster of unprecedented catastrophe”.

Storm Melissa has so far ravaged through Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

At least 34 are estimated to be dead in the Caribbean, with eight of those in Jamaica, one in the Dominican Republic and 25 in Haiti.

This was down from a previously reported 40.

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‘Unimaginable’ destruction of Hurricane Melissa

‘Heartbreaking’ aerial footage reveals scale of destruction

Later on Wednesday, the Jamaican government confirmed four people – three men and one woman – had been killed. This figure later rose to eight.

Local government minister, Desmond McKenzie, said: “They were discovered after being washed up by the flood waters generated by the hurricane.”

Devastating aerial footage shows towns destroyed by the storm.

The Jamaican prime minister, Andrew Holness, travelled to St Elizabeth, where the first deaths were reported, to inspect the storm’s impact.

Read more:
Do we need new ‘category 6’ for most extreme storms?

Sharing aerial footage of battered homes, he wrote: “The damage is great, but we are going to devote all our energy to mount a strong recovery.”

The storm made landfall in Cuba in the early hours of Wednesday morning before leaving mid-afternoon, heading towards the Bahamas.

Hurricane Melissa has ravaged through the Caribbean. Pic: Reuters
Image:
Hurricane Melissa has ravaged through the Caribbean. Pic: Reuters

‘Whole communities are underwater’

Alexander Pendry, British Red Cross global response manager, said: “News is already coming through that whole communities are underwater and that the damage left by the strong winds has been devastating.

“The Jamaica Red Cross has been proactively supporting communities by preparing essential supplies and managing shelters. Their priority now is to reach people with aid as soon as possible.

“Across the Caribbean, Red Cross teams have been mobilising as Melissa continues its trajectory across Cuba, Dominican Republic and Haiti.”

He added: “Tragically, experience tells us that the impact on communities and individuals will be shattering and long lasting.

“We will be here for as long as people need us.”

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