Anger in Lebanon after fuel tank explosion kills 28 and injures 80
- Lebanon’s National News Agency said the explosion followed scuffles as people crowded to get petrol
- After the incident, protesters attacked the Beirut home of premier-designate Najib Mikati to demand his resignation, clashing with anti-riot forces
A fuel tank explosion in Lebanon killed 28 people and injured 80 on Sunday as a crowd clamoured for petrol, authorities and medical staff said, the latest catastrophe to spark outrage in the crisis-hit country.
The tragedy in the remote north overwhelmed medical facilities and heaped new misery on a nation already beset by an economic crisis and severe fuel shortages that have crippled hospitals and caused long power cuts.
It also revived bitter memories of a massive explosion at Beirut port last August that killed more than 200 people and destroyed swathes of the capital.
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Fuel tank explosion in northern Lebanon kills 28 and injures 80, overwhelming hospitals
The health ministry said the explosion in Al-Tleil village in the Akkar region killed 28 people and wounded 80.
Caretaker premier Hassan Diab’s office declared a national day of mourning for Monday.
Anger boiled over as protesters attacked the Beirut home of premier-designate Najib Mikati to demand his resignation, with stones thrown and clashes with anti-riot forces, the official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
The military said a fuel tank that “had been confiscated by the army to distribute to citizens” exploded just before 2am local time on Sunday.