Lebanon fuel tank explosion: Vladimir Putin offers condolences to President Aoun

Russian President Vladimir Putin offered condolences to Lebanese President Michel Aoun over the fatal fuel tanker explosion in Lebanon's Akkar province. "Please accept our deepest condolences on the tragic consequences of the explosion of a fuel storage facility in Akkar province," Putin wrote in a message. The Russian President also extended support and sympathies to the victims of the family.

The massive blast

As per the Lebanese Red Cross, teams recovered 20 bodies from the site in the border village of Tleil; another 72 were injured in the oil tanker blast in Lebanon on August 15, Sunday. However, the death toll rose to 28 by the evening, Lebanon authorities informed. Hours after the explosion, Lebanese Red Cross members were still searching for more victims as Lebanese soldiers cordoned the area.

The incident took place in the town of Altalil in Akkar province of Lebanon. Approximately 200 people witnessed the massive blast as it happened. As per reports, the blast occurred while the Lebanese army was giving out fuel to the town's residents from the oil tanker they had confiscated from black marketeers.

Fuel smuggling operations have been ongoing for months. Although the cause of the blast has remained unclear, Lebanese authorities told AP that the warehouse stored about 60,000 litres of gasoline seized from illegal marketers. Lebanon is in the middle of an economic meltdown following the Beirut blast.

Lebanese fuel crisis

The explosion in the Medittererian country comes as Lebanon faces a severe fuel shortage that has been blamed on smuggling, hoarding, and the cash-strapped government’s inability to secure deliveries of imported fuel, the AP reported. The fuel shortages have resulted in a severe blow to the healthcare system in the country. On Saturday, the American University Medical Center warned it might be forced to shut down in less than 48 hours due to fuel shortages, which would threaten the lives of its critically ill patients.

Sunday’s explosion was the deadliest in the country's history. It is the second biggest blast since the August 4, 2020, Beirut Port blast that killed at least 214. The blast occurred due to a massive stockpile of ammonium nitrate. The explosion ripped through the capital's residential areas, caused damages worth $15 billion.

With inputs from AP

Image Credit: AP/representative