Ten injured in Lebanon gas depot explosion

Blast at warehouse storing gas canisters in north-east of country

Fire and smoke plumes rise at the scene of an explosion in Hermel governorate on Sunday. The area is in eastern Bekaa valley, near Lebanon’s border with Syria. AFP

At least 10 people were injured in Lebanon on Sunday in an explosion at a warehouse storing gas canisters near the country’s border with Syria, the Lebanese Red Cross said.

The Red Cross said it sent three teams of rescuers to the village of Al Qasr in eastern Hermel, where the explosion occurred, and took the injured to hospitals.

The region is known for its many illegal border crossings into Syria, which are used by smugglers to move various types of contraband.

Smuggling takes places both ways, but has been stepped up from Lebanon into Syria since the start of the war there in 2011 and as Beirut faces a growing economic crisis and is placed under international sanctions.

Hezbollah, an ally of the Assad regime, is often accused by Lebanese media and political parties of running smuggling operations into Syria.

Lebanon is struggling with its worst economic crisis since its 1975-1990 civil war.