Ten people in total have been killed a serious explosion in Creeslough, County Donegal.

Three of the fatalities were children, Gardaí have confirmed.

The explosion, which Gardaí have called a "freak accident", occurred at a petrol station in the village at approximately 3:20pm yesterday.

Four men, three women, a teenage girl and boy and a young "primary school age" girl are included in the death toll.

Donegal County Council Fire Services, An Garda Síochána, the HSE National Ambulance Service and Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service have been working together at the scene.

Road users are asked to consider alternative routes through the Creeslough area as emergency services deal with the ongoing incident.

In a statement earlier today, President Michael D. Higgins said: "This tragedy is a terrible blow to a community that is closely knit and where every loss and injury will be felt by every member of the community and far beyond."

"Special tribute must be paid to those members of the local community and emergency services across the island who have reacted so swiftly to the scene of the explosion and have continued to work through the night."

Condolences have also been pouring in from politicians such as Taoiseach Micheál Martin, who expressed his "deepest sympathies" to the families of the deceased, describing it as the "darkest of days for Donegal and the entire country".

Main image shows emergency services at the scene. Picture by: NW News Pix