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At least 20 people were killed and 79 others were injured after a fuel tank exploded in a warehouse in northern Lebanon where fuel was illegally stored.
The army had confiscated about 60,000 liters of fuel hidden by black merchants at the site and was distributing gasoline to residents when the explosion took place, according to military and security sources.
There were long lines at the warehouse given the severe fuel shortage in Lebanon, which was blamed on smuggling, hoarding and the government’s inability to guarantee deliveries of imported fuel.
Image: Lebanese soldiers stood guard next to the fuel tank
The fuel tank exploded in Altalil, a town in the Akkar region which is one of the poorest regions in the country.
Eyewitnesses said about 200 people were nearby at the time of the explosion.
It is still unclear what caused the explosion, a security source telling Reuters that there had been an “influx of people” and that “arguments between some of them led to gunshots. fire that hit the gas tank and so it exploded “.
But local Al-Jadeed TV station reported from eyewitnesses that it was caused by someone lighting a lighter.
Lebanese Red Cross members are still looking for more victims in the area and the area has been closed.
He said he recovered the bodies of those killed and evacuated 79 people injured and burned in the blast.
Image: The explosion killed at least 20 people and injured dozens more
Former Prime Minister Saad al Hariri called on the Lebanese president and other officials to shoulder their responsibilities and step down.
“The Akkar massacre is no different from the port massacre,” he tweeted, referring to last year’s explosion in the port of Beirut.
Interim Health Minister Hamad Hassan called for “urgent help” to evacuate some of the wounded abroad.
July: Hunt for fuel smugglers in Lebanon
“There are cases [of burns] which are more than the capacity of Lebanese hospitals to manage, ”he said.
Some of the injured were taken to nearby al-Salam Hospital in Tripoli, while others were treated in Beirut.
In a Beirut hospital, Marwa el-Sheikh was awaiting information on her brother, who was being treated for burns, and her brother-in-law, still missing.
July: Lebanese crisis threatens military stability
“Some people have been burned to the point of being unrecognizable,” she said.
“They are the victims of the failings and recklessness of our politicians that have led us to this.”
Hospitals have warned they may have to close in the coming days due to a lack of fuel and a low supply of drugs and other essentials.
July: Lebanon plunged into economic crisis
The crisis worsened this week after the central bank decided to halt subsidies on petroleum products, which is expected to spike the prices of almost all commodities in Lebanon.
Some service stations refuse to sell fuel because they want to wait until the subsidies are over and prices increase.
Troops were deployed to gas stations on Saturday to respond.
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The fuel tank was seized as part of a recent crackdown on smuggling, which is rampant along the border with Syria, where commodity prices are higher.
Sunday’s explosion was the deadliest in Lebanon since last year’s explosion in the port of Beirut that killed at least 214 people.
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Sources 2/ https://news.sky.com/story/lebanon-at-least-20-dead-and-dozens-injured-after-fuel-tank-explodes-as-residents-blame-careless-politicians-12382062 The mention sources can contact us to remove/changing this article |
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