Two dozen people have been killed and several more injured after a gas tanker erupted into flames in Lebanon’s northernmost Akkar region. Videos shared online show a massive blaze raging at the scene.
? At least 10 people have been killed in the fuel tanker explosion in Tleil, #Lebanonpic.twitter.com/Y0fnZyM2dF
الاهالي يوجهون نداء الى كافة الاسعافات المتواجدة في #عكار التوجه الى مكان الانفجار في بلدة #التليلpic.twitter.com/6v4CYT3asC
The Lebanese Red Cross reported that medics have recovered the bodies of 20 victims at the site of the blast. Seven people, injured as result of the explosion, have been taken to hospital.
⚠️UPDATE⚠️: our teams have transported 20 dead bodies and more than 7 injured from the fuel tanker explosion in #AKKAR to hospitals in the area. pic.twitter.com/MgWdpC61Pn
A total of 22 rescue squads have been dispatched to the scene of the explosion, which took place on Sunday morning in the Tleil area of Akkar region.
The country’s former prime minister Saad Hariri used the occasion to demand the resignation of Lebanese President Michel Aoun, drawing parallels between the Akkar explosion and the Beirut port disaster, which reduced the harbor and much of the city to rubble on August 4, 2020.
“Akkar massacre not unlike the [Beirut] Port massacre. May God have mercy on the martyrs and may they rest in peace,” Hariri tweeted, calling on all officials, responsible for what he described as negligence, to resign.
“The lives and security of the Lebanese are a priority,” he added.
The Beirut port explosion killed some 218 people and injured about 7,500 more, becoming one of the most powerful non-nuclear blasts in history. Marking the anniversary of the events, hundreds of protesters hit the streets of the city earlier this month, demanding that those responsible for the tragedy be held accountable.
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