At least 20 people were killed and dozens were injured in Lebanon tanker explosion

The Lebanese Red Cross said that early Sunday, a tanker truck exploded in northern Lebanon, killing 20 people and injuring dozens of others. It is unclear what caused the explosion.

The Lebanese Red Cross stated that its team found 20 bodies at the explosion site in the northern village of Tleil and evacuated 79 people who were injured or burned in the explosion.

Lebanese Health Minister Hamad Hassan called on all hospitals in northern Lebanon and the capital Beirut to receive the victims of the explosion, adding that the government will pay for their treatment.

At the time of the explosion, Lebanon was facing a severe fuel shortage, which was blamed on smuggling, hoarding, and cash shortages. The government was unable to ensure the delivery of imported fuel.

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Tleil is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) from the Syrian border, but it is not clear whether the fuel in the tanker is going to be smuggled into Syria. Compared with prices in Lebanon, prices there are much higher.

Sunday’s explosion was the deadliest in the country since August 4, 2020. The explosion in Beirut port killed at least 214 people, injured thousands and destroyed parts of the capital