Fuel tanker explodes in Lebanon’s capital, killing four

A fuel tanker in Beirut, Lebanon has exploded and killed four people in the impact area.

Rescuers carry a child evacuated from a building after a fuel tank exploded in Beirut [Mohamed Azakir/Reuters]

Authorities say the diesel tanker erupted in a warehouse close to a residential area, on Friday night. 30 people have been injured because of the blast and are receiving treatment in hospital.

The cause of the blast isn’t yet known, but media reports from the country’s state-run national news agency say a fire in the warehouse’s bakery might have spread to the tanker, causing it to explode.

“We were cleaning the street then suddenly a very strong explosion shook the place and everything starting falling down,” said Ali Ghannam, a witness.

The explosion caused nearby homes to collapse and left parts of the area without electricity because of cut electric cables.

Lebanese authorities have been on the haunt, for several months, for warehouses breaching health and safety laws following July’s explosion, at a port in Beirut, that killed 200 people and injured 6,500 others.

“We feared such an accident could happen,” Governor Marwan Aboud said, adding “We have ordered some of them(warehouses) to close and required others to put in place procedures to protect the public.”

By: Niza Nondo