Photo / APA warehouse where fuel was illegally stored exploded early on Sunday in northern Lebanon, killing 20 people and wounding dozens more, the Lebanese Red Cross said. The Lebanese Red Cross said a fuel tanker exploded and its teams recovered 20 bodies from the site in the border village of Tleil. At least 20 people were killed ina fuel tanker explosion in Akkar in northern Lebanonpic.twitter.com/gizZuNeOqJ — Mohamed Yehia (@yeh1a) August 15, 2021In a statement, it said it evacuated 79 people who were injured or suffered burns in the blast. Hours after the blast, Lebanese Red Cross members were still searching the area for more victims as Lebanese soldiers cordoned the area. The explosion comes as Lebanon faces a severe fuel shortage that has been blamed on smuggling, hoarding and the cash-strapped Government's inability to secure deliveries of imported fuel.

Source: New Zealand Herald August 15, 2021 05:19 UTC