Saturday, December 11, 2021
about a dozen injured
Explosion shakes refugee camp in Lebanon
A violent explosion broke out at a Palestinian refugee camp in southern Lebanon on Friday evening. According to a state news agency, an arms depot there exploded, and other reports suggested oxygen canisters were on fire. It is not yet confirmed whether any deaths have occurred or not.
A serious explosion rocked the Palestinian refugee camp Burj al-Shemali on Friday evening in Lebanon’s southern port city of Tire, injuring nearly a dozen people. While rescue workers and a camp insider confirmed the wounded, it is still unclear whether there have been deaths. The Lebanese army sealed the camp.
As reported by state news agency NNA, the blast originated from a Hamas weapons depot in the camp. A judge has already directed the security forces to start an investigation.
The Palestinian news agency Hamas, which is affiliated with the Shehab news agency, quoted a Palestinian insider as saying that the explosion was caused by the ignition of oxygen canisters originally meant to treat Covid19 patients. According to the person, the fire has now been brought under control and the area around the blast has been evacuated. Rescuers are on duty. Hamas has yet to officially comment on the incident.
According to estimates, about 400,000 Palestinian refugees today live in twelve camps controlled by Palestinian groups in Lebanon. In the past few months, Lebanon has been shaken several times by horrific explosions. More than 190 people were killed and nearly 6,000 injured in a devastating explosion in the port of the capital, Beirut. Last August, at least 28 people were killed when a fuel tank caught fire in the north of the country. Lebanon has also been grappling with the worst economic crisis in its history for more than two years.
