BEIRUT, 15 August 2021, (TON): The Red Cross said “at least 20 people were killed when a fuel truck exploded in Lebanon’s northern region of Akkar.”

The cause of the explosion was not immediately clear.

Videos shared on social media showed a large fire at the blast site. AFP could not independently verify the authenticity of the footage.

The Lebanese Red Cross said on Twitter “our teams have transported 20 dead bodies and more than 7 injured from the fuel tanker explosion in #Akkar to hospitals in the area.”

Lebanon, hit by a financial crisis branded by the World Bank as one of the planet’s worst since the 1850s, has been grappling with dire fuel shortages for months.

The Lebanese army on Saturday said it seized thousands of liters of gasoline and diesel that distributors were stockpiling at stations across the country.

Fuel shortages have left many with just two hours of electricity a day, while several hospitals have recently warned they may have to close due to power outages.

Lebanon is facing soaring poverty, a plummeting currency and shortages of basic items like medicine.