The Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said more deaths may be uncovered as the days go by following Storm Emma.
Mr Varadkar who was speaking to TV3 over the weekend, said that there is a real possibility of finding more people who sadly passed away in remote areas once clean up operations begin.
Although Mr Varadkar said he hoped that everyone survived the storm in the affected areas, he did state clean up services are preparing for such instances.
The Taoiseach who was speaking to the broadcaster following a meeting in Co Wexford, also praised the efforts of emergency services and the general public for their awareness and actions during the storm.
Mr Varadkar said without the actions of those brave people the situation could have been made a whole lot worse as the death toll could have been significantly higher.
He added that he was saddened to hear about the number of road fatalities over the past few days, but he could not say for certain whether or not those deaths were caused by the adverse weather conditions.
Mr Varadkar finalised by saying that his thoughts and prayers are with the families of those who were sadly killed in accidents over the past few days.