Picture of a truck after it exploded in Makneh in Baalbeck, February 4, 2024. (Courtesy of Sarah Abdallah)
BEIRUT — A fuel truck exploded on Sunday, killing a man and his mother in the Baalbaki area of Makneh, two security sources told L'Orient Today.
The explosion happened near al-Azrak gas station in Makneh, causing damage to a nearby house.
Shrapnel from the explosion infiltrated the house, where the man died in the explosion and the woman was taken to hospital before dying from her injuries.
The origins of the explosion are still not clear.
Later Sunday evening, the Ministry of Energy and Water issued a statement about "this painful incident," relayed by the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
According to the ministry's statement, the tanker that exploded "was not legal, and was not subject to the required standards and conditions." The ministry goes on to call for "the prosecution of owners of unapproved tanks," hoping for "stricter control of these irregularities soon, so that this kind of incident is not repeated, where innocent lives are lost."