AL JAZEERA
Ambulances rush to the scene in the Burj al-Shemali camp in port city of Tyre as authorities investigate source of blast.
A large explosion has rocked a Palestinian camp in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, causing a number of deaths and injuries, state media reported.
A Palestinian source inside the camp told Reuters News Agency that at least 12 people had been injured and there were an unknown number of fatalities after the blast late on Friday.
The explosion took place at a suspected Hamas weapons depot in the Burj al-Shemali camp and a judge had ordered security forces to launch an investigation, the state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported.
12 injured in Hamas arms depot blast in Palestinian
refugee camp
South Lebanon
Attorney General Judge Rahif Ramadan tasked security agencies & bomb technicians w inspecting the depot as a probe was launched into z incident to unveil its circumstanceshttps://t.co/iqgSSz0nfp pic.twitter.com/TvEGxyntTR
— Saad Abedine
(@SaadAbedine) December 10, 2021
Shehab News Agency, seen as close to Hamas, quoted a Palestinian source as saying the explosion was caused by the ignition of oxygen canisters stored for use in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hamas maintains a presence in a number of Palestinian camps in Lebanon.
The NNA said the army cordoned off the area, preventing people from entering or leaving the camp.
Videos from the scene shared by local media show a number of small bright red flashes above the southern city, followed by a large explosion and the sound of glass breaking.
Lebanon is home to tens of thousands of Palestinian refugees and their descendants. Many live in the 12 refugee camps that are scattered around the small Mediterranean country.
A number of armed Palestinian factions, including those linked to Hamas and Fatah, hold effective control over the camps, which Lebanese authorities by custom do not enter.
source https://perilofafrica.com/2021/12/several-killed-in-explosion-at-south-lebanon-palestinian-camp-news.html