28 killed, 79 injured in fuel tank explosion in northern Lebanon

Smoke billows from the reported home of the lot owner, where the exploded fuel tank was placed, in the village of Tlel in Lebanon`s northern region of Akkar. Pic/AFP

At least 28 people were killed and 79 others injured in the early morning in a fuel tank explosion in the town of Tleil in Lebanon's northern district of Akkar, the National News Agency reported.

The Lebanese army said that the dead and the injured included army members and citizens. Security sources were quoted by media outlets as saying that the explosion took place when the army was distributing fuel among citizens after having seized a fuel storage tank hidden by black marketeers in Akkar.

Sources added that about 200 people were nearby at the time of the explosion. Moreover, the Lebanese Red Cross announced earlier in the day that its teams were still searching the scene. The High Relief Committee urged all international organizations in Lebanon to provide medicines, serums and other materials needed to treat the severe burn cases of the injured in the explosion.

The committee's Secretary-General Mohamad Kheir said that he has contacted officials in Turkey and Egypt to transfer some severe burn cases for treatment in these countries. Lebanese President Michel Aoun expressed his deep sadness for the incident and held a meeting with the Higher Defense Council to discuss the latest developments. Lebanon, which is facing an unprecedented financial crisis, has been grappling with fuel shortages for months.

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