At least 20 people were killed and nearly 80 others injured when a fuel tank exploded in Lebanon's northern region of Akkar, the Red Cross and state media said Sunday.

The tragedy overwhelmed medical facilities and spurred a search for the missing, heaping new misery on a country already suffering from an economic crisis and severe fuel shortages that have crippled hospitals and caused long power cuts.

"Our teams have transported 20 dead bodies ... from the fuel tanker explosion in #AKKAR to hospitals in the area," the Lebanese Red Cross said on Twitter.

It added that 79 other people were injured.&nbsp;The official National News Agency said that a container of fuel that the army had confiscated -- part of an effort by the military to stop suppliers from hoarding -- had exploded.&nbsp;

It said the explosion took place following scuffles between "residents that gathered around the container to fill up gasoline" overnight.

The agency added that the army had left the area before the fight and the explosion.

Yassine Metlej, an employee at an Akkar hospital, said that the facility had received at least seven corpses and dozens of burns victims.

"The corpses are so charred that we can't identify them," he told AFP.&nbsp;"Some have lost their faces, others their arms."

He said the hospital had to turn away most of the wounded because it is not equipped to treat severe burns.

George Kettaneh of the Lebanese Red Cross told local media that first responders received reports of an explosion shortly before 2:00am (2300 GMT).

He warned that the tragedy will pile pressure on the country's only two burns centres, located in the northern city of Tripoli and the capital Beirut.&nbsp;

An employee at Akkar hospital who asked to be identified only as Mohammad said more than 30 wounded people had come to the facility following the explosion.

"They all have burns," he said, adding that many were turned away because the hospital is not equipped to treat such cases.

Many patients were referred to Tripoli's Al-Salam hospital, more than 25 kilometres (16 miles) away.

An AFP correspondent there saw patients with burned arms and legs.&nbsp;

The overcrowding at Al-Salam prompted many to flock to the Geitawi hospital in Beirut, which also struggled to keep up with the influx of patients suffering from burns.&nbsp;

Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan instructed hospitals across the country "to receive the wounded from the painful tragedy in Akkar's al-Talil at the ministry's expense and without reluctance."

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 soaring poverty, a plummeting currency and dire fuel shortages.

The Lebanese army on Saturday said it seized thousands of litres 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.

The American University of Beirut Medical Centre, the country's top private hospital, said it would close by Monday morning if it doesn't secure diesel fuel to power generators.

It warned that this would cause hundreds of deaths.&nbsp;

Hundreds of Akkar residents flocked to the blast site which was cordoned off by the army early Sunday morning, according to NNA.&nbsp;

Soldiers and rescuers were sweeping the area for missing people and survivors, NNA said.

Lebanon's President Michel Aoun called for an investigation into the circumstances that led to the blast.&nbsp;

The Akkar explosion comes less than two weeks after Lebanon marked the first anniversary of a blast at Beirut port last summer that killed more than 200 people.

On August 4, 2020, a haphazardly stored stock of ammonium nitrate fertiliser exploded and left swathes of the capital resembling a war zone.&nbsp;It was one of history's largest non-nuclear explosions.

In the year since no officials have been held to account for that blast.&nbsp;Despite the economic crisis, political wrangling has delayed the formation of a new government after the last cabinet resigned in the wake of the port blast.&nbsp;

International donors have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Lebanon.

But the money is conditional on the establishment of a new government prepared to spearhead reforms, and on the resumption of talks with the International Monetary Fund.

At least 20 people were killed and nearly 80 others injured when a fuel tank exploded in Lebanon's northern region of Akkar, the Red Cross and state media said Sunday.

At least 20 people were killed and nearly 80 others injured when a fuel tank exploded in Lebanon's northern region of Akkar, the Red Cross and state media said Sunday. The tragedy overwhelmed medical facilities and spurred a search for the missing, heaping new misery on a country already suffering from an economic crisis and severe fuel shortages that have crippled hospitals and caused long power cuts. "Our teams have transported 20 dead bodies ... from the fuel tanker explosion in #AKKAR to hospitals in the area," the Lebanese Red Cross said on Twitter. It added that 79 other people were injured. The official National News Agency said that a container of fuel that the army had confiscated -- part of an effort by the military to stop suppliers from hoarding -- had exploded. It said the explosion took place following scuffles between "residents that gathered around the container to fill up gasoline" overnight. The agency added that the army had left the area before the fight and the explosion. Yassine Metlej, an employee at an Akkar hospital, said that the facility had received at least seven corpses and dozens of burns victims. "The corpses are so charred that we can't identify them," he told AFP. "Some have lost their faces, others their arms." He said the hospital had to turn away most of the wounded because it is not equipped to treat severe burns. George Kettaneh of the Lebanese Red Cross told local media that first responders received reports of an explosion shortly before 2:00am (2300 GMT). He warned that the tragedy will pile pressure on the country's only two burns centres, located in the northern city of Tripoli and the capital Beirut. An employee at Akkar hospital who asked to be identified only as Mohammad said more than 30 wounded people had come to the facility following the explosion. "They all have burns," he said, adding that many were turned away because the hospital is not equipped to treat such cases. Many patients were referred to Tripoli's Al-Salam hospital, more than 25 kilometres (16 miles) away. An AFP correspondent there saw patients with burned arms and legs. The overcrowding at Al-Salam prompted many to flock to the Geitawi hospital in Beirut, which also struggled to keep up with the influx of patients suffering from burns. Caretaker Health Minister Hamad Hassan instructed hospitals across the country "to receive the wounded from the painful tragedy in Akkar's al-Talil at the ministry's expense and without reluctance." 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 soaring poverty, a plummeting currency and dire fuel shortages. The Lebanese army on Saturday said it seized thousands of litres 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. The American University of Beirut Medical Centre, the country's top private hospital, said it would close by Monday morning if it doesn't secure diesel fuel to power generators. It warned that this would cause hundreds of deaths. Hundreds of Akkar residents flocked to the blast site which was cordoned off by the army early Sunday morning, according to NNA. Soldiers and rescuers were sweeping the area for missing people and survivors, NNA said. Lebanon's President Michel Aoun called for an investigation into the circumstances that led to the blast. The Akkar explosion comes less than two weeks after Lebanon marked the first anniversary of a blast at Beirut port last summer that killed more than 200 people. On August 4, 2020, a haphazardly stored stock of ammonium nitrate fertiliser exploded and left swathes of the capital resembling a war zone. It was one of history's largest non-nuclear explosions. In the year since no officials have been held to account for that blast. Despite the economic crisis, political wrangling has delayed the formation of a new government after the last cabinet resigned in the wake of the port blast. International donors have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to Lebanon. But the money is conditional on the establishment of a new government prepared to spearhead reforms, and on the resumption of talks with the International Monetary Fund.

At least 20 killed in Lebanon fuel tank explosion

Lebanon was left reeling on Sunday without a hint of any end to the multiple crises, after its prime minister-designate stepped down following the failure of talks to form a government, despite international pressure.

Mustapha Adib's resignation on Saturday ended efforts to hammer out a reformist government. All this is happening in the wake of a colossal August 4 explosion in Beirut that killed 190 people, injured thousands and ravaged swathes of the capital.

To this end, Lebanon’s top Christian cleric said the nation faced “multiple dangers” that would be hard to weather without a government.

Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, leader of the Maronite church, Lebanon’s biggest Christian community, said Adib’s resignation had “disappointed citizens, especially the youth, who were betting on the start of change in the political class.”

Many top politicians, both Christian and Muslim, have held sway for years or even decades. Some are former warlords.

Rai said Lebanon now had to navigate “multiple dangers” without a government at the helm.

Rai’s comments were echoed on the streets of Beirut, where mass protests erupted in 2019 as years of mismanagement, corruption and mounting debts finally led to economic collapse, paralysing banks and sending the currency into freefall.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who had pressed Lebanon’s fractious politicians to reach a consensus so that Adib was named on Aug. 31, is to due to speak about the crisis in a news conference in Paris later on Sunday.

Political parties had pledged in early September, during a visit to Lebanon by French President Emmanuel Macron, to form within two weeks a cabinet of independent ministers tasked with ending the country's economic malaise.

Under the Lebanese constitution, the president must now hold further talks to nominate another prime minister to form a government, but it is a process that risks dragging out and even failing.

Adib's efforts were hampered by the claims of two Shiite formations, the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, and its ally Amal, led by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who demanded the finance portfolio.

According to observers, the Shiite allies dug in their heels after recent US sanctions were imposed on a minister of the Amal party and two companies affiliated with Hezbollah.

Adib's decision to step aside 26 days after his appointment has left the people of Lebanon feeling as though they are back to square one.

Earlier this week, Lebanese President Michel Aoun warned the country was headed to "hell" without a new cabinet.

The Arabic-language newspaper Annahar warned of "grave repercussions", and said all eyes were on Macron, who is due to hold a news conference on Sunday evening.

The UN envoy to Lebanon, Jan Kubis, on Saturday reacted with disbelief: "Such a degree of irresponsibility when the fate of Lebanon and its people is at stake!"

Even before the devastating Beirut port blast, the country was already mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, and its entrenched political class was dealing with widespread popular discontent.

After the country for the first time defaulted on its sovereign debt in March, it launched talks with the International Monetary Fund towards lifting the country out of crisis, but those discussions soon stalled.

Now, with no new cabinet expected any time soon, analyst Maha Yahya said the country was left with a "lame duck" caretaker government.

Many are worried the country is headed from bad to worse, with daily novel coronavirus infection figures on the rise and increasing security incidents reported in recent weeks.

On Saturday night, an attack on an army post in north Lebanon killed two soldiers and an alleged "terrorist".&nbsp;

Police killed nine alleged Islamic State group-linked suspects in a manhunt over a murder last month, a security source said Sunday.

A senior Shi’ite Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan, said on Saturday Adib’s resignation as the economy collapsed could “be described as a disaster”, calling for national unity to deliver reforms, the state news agency reported.

The cabinet formation effort stumbled after Lebanon’s two main Shi’ite groups, Amal and the heavily armed Iran-backed Hezbollah, demanded they name several ministers, including finance, a key role as the nation draws up a rescue plan.

Saad al-Hariri, a former prime minister and leading Sunni politician, said in a statement he would not be involved in naming any new premier and said the French plan was “the last and only opportunity to halt Lebanon’s collapse”.

A French roadmap laid out a reform programme for a new government to help trigger billions of dollars of international aid.

(with inputs from agencies)

Lebanon was left reeling on Sunday without a hint of any end to the multiple crises, after its prime minister-designate stepped down following the failure of talks to form a government, despite international pressure.

Lebanon was left reeling on Sunday without a hint of any end to the multiple crises, after its prime minister-designate stepped down following the failure of talks to form a government, despite international pressure. Mustapha Adib's resignation on Saturday ended efforts to hammer out a reformist government. All this is happening in the wake of a colossal August 4 explosion in Beirut that killed 190 people, injured thousands and ravaged swathes of the capital. To this end, Lebanon’s top Christian cleric said the nation faced “multiple dangers” that would be hard to weather without a government. Patriarch Bechara Boutros Al-Rai, leader of the Maronite church, Lebanon’s biggest Christian community, said Adib’s resignation had “disappointed citizens, especially the youth, who were betting on the start of change in the political class.” Many top politicians, both Christian and Muslim, have held sway for years or even decades. Some are former warlords. Rai said Lebanon now had to navigate “multiple dangers” without a government at the helm. Rai’s comments were echoed on the streets of Beirut, where mass protests erupted in 2019 as years of mismanagement, corruption and mounting debts finally led to economic collapse, paralysing banks and sending the currency into freefall. French President Emmanuel Macron, who had pressed Lebanon’s fractious politicians to reach a consensus so that Adib was named on Aug. 31, is to due to speak about the crisis in a news conference in Paris later on Sunday. Political parties had pledged in early September, during a visit to Lebanon by French President Emmanuel Macron, to form within two weeks a cabinet of independent ministers tasked with ending the country's economic malaise. Under the Lebanese constitution, the president must now hold further talks to nominate another prime minister to form a government, but it is a process that risks dragging out and even failing. Adib's efforts were hampered by the claims of two Shiite formations, the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement, and its ally Amal, led by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, who demanded the finance portfolio. According to observers, the Shiite allies dug in their heels after recent US sanctions were imposed on a minister of the Amal party and two companies affiliated with Hezbollah. Adib's decision to step aside 26 days after his appointment has left the people of Lebanon feeling as though they are back to square one. Earlier this week, Lebanese President Michel Aoun warned the country was headed to "hell" without a new cabinet. The Arabic-language newspaper Annahar warned of "grave repercussions", and said all eyes were on Macron, who is due to hold a news conference on Sunday evening. The UN envoy to Lebanon, Jan Kubis, on Saturday reacted with disbelief: "Such a degree of irresponsibility when the fate of Lebanon and its people is at stake!" Even before the devastating Beirut port blast, the country was already mired in its worst economic crisis in decades, and its entrenched political class was dealing with widespread popular discontent. After the country for the first time defaulted on its sovereign debt in March, it launched talks with the International Monetary Fund towards lifting the country out of crisis, but those discussions soon stalled. Now, with no new cabinet expected any time soon, analyst Maha Yahya said the country was left with a "lame duck" caretaker government. Many are worried the country is headed from bad to worse, with daily novel coronavirus infection figures on the rise and increasing security incidents reported in recent weeks. On Saturday night, an attack on an army post in north Lebanon killed two soldiers and an alleged "terrorist". Police killed nine alleged Islamic State group-linked suspects in a manhunt over a murder last month, a security source said Sunday. A senior Shi’ite Muslim cleric, Sheikh Ahmed Qabalan, said on Saturday Adib’s resignation as the economy collapsed could “be described as a disaster”, calling for national unity to deliver reforms, the state news agency reported. The cabinet formation effort stumbled after Lebanon’s two main Shi’ite groups, Amal and the heavily armed Iran-backed Hezbollah, demanded they name several ministers, including finance, a key role as the nation draws up a rescue plan. Saad al-Hariri, a former prime minister and leading Sunni politician, said in a statement he would not be involved in naming any new premier and said the French plan was “the last and only opportunity to halt Lebanon’s collapse”. A French roadmap laid out a reform programme for a new government to help trigger billions of dollars of international aid. (with inputs from agencies)

'Multiple dangers': Lebanon reels after efforts to form government collapse

World Leaders have pledged close to 300 million dollars aid for Lebanon at a virtual conference hosted by French President Emanuel Macron.

The world comes to Lebanon's aid: International aid to bypass Lebanon's government

Lebanon's information minister Manal Abdel Samad on Sunday resigned from his post following the deadly Beirut blast that killed more than 150. Samad is the first minister to quit the government following the blast.

Lebanon's information minister Manal Abdel Samad on Sunday resigned from his post following the deadly Beirut blast that killed more than 150. Samad is the first minister to quit the government following the blast. "After the enormous Beirut catastrophe, I announce my resignation from government," she said in a statement carried by local media, apologising to the Lebanese public for failing them. The head of Lebanon's Maronite church meanwhile called on the entire government to step down over the August 4 explosion, a blast widely seen as shocking proof of the rot at the core of the state apparatus, according to AFP. Also read: How Beirut blast briefly handed foreign ministry to protesters Lebanese protesters enraged by the blast vowed to rally again after a night of street clashes in which they stormed several ministries. Maronite patriarch Beshara Rai joined the chorus of people pressing Prime Minister Hassan Diab's cabinet to step down over a blast he said could be "described as a crime against humanity." "It is not enough for a lawmaker to resign here or a minister to resign there," Rai was quoted as saying in a Sunday sermon. Also read: Beirut port blast crater 43 metres deep: Security official "It is necessary, out of sensitivity to the feelings of the Lebanese and the immense responsibility required, for the entire government to resign, because it is incapable of moving the country forward." Rai echoed calls by Diab for early parliamentary polls -- a long-standing demand of a protest movement that began in October, demanding the removal of a policial class deemed inept and corrupt. He also joined world leaders, international organisations and the angry Lebanese public by pressing for an international probe into an explosion authorities say was triggered by a fire in a port warehouse, where a huge shipment of hazardous ammonium nitrate had languished for years. President Michel Aoun on Friday rejected calls for an international investigation, which he said would "dilute the truth." At least six lawmakers have quit since the explosion. Under increased pressure from the street and foreign partners exasperated by the leadership's inability to enact reforms, Diab's government is fraying at the edges.

Lebanon information minister quits in wake of Beirut explosion

Lebanon's highest Christian authority called on Wednesday (October 23) for a change in government to include qualified technocrats and urged the president to begin talks to address the demands of demonstrators in the streets for a seventh day.

Lebanon's most senior Christian cleric steps into crisis

Thousands of people demonstrated across Lebanon against the government's management of an economic crisis in one of the biggest protests in years, leading the Cabinet to pull a proposed new levy on WhatsApp calls.

Lebanon up in arms: Protests against Austerity measures