Daniel O’ Donnell says ‘heart goes out’ to relatives and friends of Creeslough victims

Daniel, who returned home this morning following a stint in America for work, told how he was sitting beside a lady on the flight who knew one of those who died in the blast which destroyed a petrol station and apartments in the village of Creeslough on Friday.

Speaking to the Sunday World, he said: “We wish you could say something or do something but there is nothing you can say or do”.

“When you hear that 10 are dead and so many more injured, you realise that there are also so many more left heartbroken. People’s lives will never be the same again.

“There have been tragedies in Donegal in the past but in my lifetime I have never witnessed anything like this. It is just unbelievable,” he said.

“There are no words that can console or comfort or make a difference to the people affected. I don’t know how they are going to manage to get through it,” he said.

He continued: “It has devastated the whole county but especially the local community in Creeslough. It is a close-knit community where everybody knows everybody so everybody will know the dead and injured.

“I don’t know anybody (involved in tragedy) but on my journey home from America this morning I was sitting beside a girl whose husband’s first cousin is one of the dead. It’s a tragedy that is beyond our ability to comprehend.”

Speaking about the Applegreen store and petrol station at the heart of the tragedy, he said: “I know the shop, it’s a one stop shop. How your life can change in a split second,” he added.