This archive report was first published on 15 August 2021.
At least 28 people were killed and dozens injured in a fuel tank explosion in Lebanon's remote northern Akkar region on Sunday, August 15, 2021, as the country struggles with an economic crisis and severe fuel shortages.
The explosion occurred in the village of Al-Tleil, where a crowd had gathered to collect gasoline from a tank that had been confiscated by the army to distribute to citizens. The blast was so severe that it left many of the victims unrecognizable, with severe burns and charred bodies.
‘The corpses are so charred that we can’t identify them,’ said Yassine Metlej, an employee at a hospital in Akkar where seven bodies and dozens of injured were brought.
‘Some have lost their faces, others their arms,’ Metlej added.
The explosion has raised concerns about the handling of the fuel crisis in Lebanon, which has been plagued by severe shortages and long power cuts. The country's health minister, Hamad Hassan, has said that he is in contact with several countries to evacuate serious burn cases abroad, including Turkey, Kuwait, and Jordan.
Lebanon has been struggling with an economic crisis since 2019, and the fuel shortages have made it difficult for hospitals to operate. The explosion has added to the country's misery, and many are calling for accountability for the tragedy.
