At least 20 killed in fuel tank explosion in northern Lebanon

At least 20 people were killed when a fuel tank exploded in the Akkar region of northern Lebanon, the Lebanese Red Cross said Sunday morning.

“Our teams have transported 20 dead bodies and more than 7 injured from the fuel tanker explosion in AKKAR to hospitals in the area,” the Lebanese Red Cross said on Twitter.

At least 79 were injured and being taken to local hospitals, which are in dire need of donated blood, the Red Cross said.

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.

On Sunday morning, the Lebanese Civil Defense reported the explosion of a gasoline tank in the Akkar region, causing a number of casualties.

According to Lebanese media, residents of the town appealed to civil defense mechanisms in Akkar to go to the scene of the explosion.

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Nahar reported that ambulances were transporting the victims of the explosion to hospitals in Akkar.

Lebanon is currently suffering from severe fuel shortages, and in recent days the country has witnessed tanker hijackings. Hospitals have declared lack of  fuel and may have to close.

E.M