The Polish community in Ireland was in mourning today after a building in southern Poland collapsed killing 66 people and injuring dozens more.
Around 500 people were in the trade hall in Katowice for a pigeon exhibition when the roof caved in - possibly under the weight of snow.
The Polish ambassador in Ireland Witold Sobkow said it was a terrible tragedy.
"The only positive side to this is that it's not a terrorist attack. This is just a tragedy because of a human fault, either because it was a construction fault or because someone neglected his duties and didn't clean the snow from the roof."
He said the 100,000-strong Polish community in Ireland had been watching the events on TVN 24, the Polish satellite news station, and phoning a specially set up phone line for news of relatives.
Ambassador Sobkow said 66 people were confirmed dead and more than 200 injured, including foreigners who had been visiting the international pigeon fanciers exhibition.
"The last living victim was rescued at 10pm last night. It would be a miracle if we would find anyone else alive now," he said.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was among those who approached Ambassador Sobkow to offer his condolences, at a diplomatic fundraiser in Dublin for the victims of the Pakistani earthquake.
The Polish Prime Minister Kazimierz Marcinkiewicz has announced a three-day period of national mourning.
In Cork, around 800 Polish people are expected to attend weekly mass at St Augustine's Church tonight to say prayers for the dead and the injured.
"Obviously everybody is shocked because many people died and not only from Poland but maybe from Belgium and other countries who visited the place," said Fr Pietr Galus, the chaplain to Cork's Polish community.
PA