Tributes have been paid to the ten people who died in an explosion at a service station in Creeslough, Co Donegal.
They were killed in the blast which occurred at around 3.20pm on Friday, destroying the Applegreen service station building and a section of an apartment block on the outskirts of the village.
They have been named by gardaí as Catherine O'Donnell, 39, and her 13-year-old son James Monaghan; Robert Garwe, 50, and his five-year-old daughter Shauna Flanagan Garwe; 14-year-old Leona Harper; Jessica Gallagher, 24; James O'Flaherty, 48; Martin McGill, 49; Martina Martin, 49, and 59-year-old Hugh Kelly.
This afternoon, Pope Francis offered his condolences to the people of Creeslough.
A statement sent by his representative to Bishop of Raphoe Alan McGuckian read: "His Holiness Pope Francis was saddened to learn of the loss of life and destruction caused by the explosion in Creeslough and he expresses his spiritual closeness to all those suffering in the aftermath of this tragedy.
"While entrusting the deceased to the merciful love of almighty god, His Holiness implores the divine blessings of consolation and healing upon the injured, the displaced and the families coping with pain of loss.
"As a pledge of strength and peace in the lord, the Holy Father sends his blessing to all the people of Ireland."
Letterkenny Rugby Club offered its "deepest condolences" to Leona Harper's parents and brothers.
In a post on social media, the club said everyone was heartbroken over her death, describing Leona as a "talented rugby player and an important part of our U14 girls team".
It added: "There are no words that feel strong enough at a moment of deep sorrow such as this. Rest in peace, Leona."
Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, Jeremy Worth, chairperson of the youth section at Letterkenny RFC, said they are all in a "complete state of shock" to hear that one of their own members died in the Creeslough explosion.
Mr Worth said Leona's coach described her as being "fiercely competitive" and said it was "clear she was developing into a fantastic young player".
He said Leona's teammates will be "struggling very much" to come to terms with what has happened.
The club will open its doors tonight so that people can come together and get personal support if needed, he added.
Leona and James were both pupils of Mulroy College.
In a statement, the school also said that Ms Martin was the mother of a student there and that a number of other students had been injured in the explosion.
School principal Fiona Temple said the school community is devastated by what happened and by the deaths of "our two beautiful students".
She said: "Our thoughts and prayers are with all the families and the Creeslough community at this time. We are numbed by this overwhelming sadness and will work together to support all members of our school community in the coming days, weeks and months ahead."
Mulroy College put its Critical Incident Plan in place as news of the tragedy emerged and said its Student Support Team, the Critical Incident Team and the management and staff of Mulroy College are supporting students, parents and staff.
The funeral of James O'Flaherty will take place on Wednesday in St Mary's Church, Doirí Beaga. A death notice posted online said he will be sadly missed by his wife and son, as well as by his brother and extended family.
Garda Superintendent Liam Geraghty said that what has happened will have "a huge impact to a small rural community".
He said: "They are all local people. They are all very much involved in the community. They were all people who were shopping in their local shop.
"We have very, very young children. The schools are going to be impacted, the GAA clubs are going to be impacted, the local church, in general the community is going to be severely impacted by this incident.
"But it is a very strong community as was seen here on Friday afternoon with the response of families, friends and neighbours who came to people's rescue.
"So I am sure the community will come together and will support each other."
Additional reporting: PA
