Truck carrying gas cylinders blows up near Lebanon capital

No one is known to have been wounded in the fire though two cars suffered damage.

1 min read

11 February, 2022

The skyline of Beirut, capital of Lebanon

The blast and fire occurred close to Beirut, the Lebanese capital [Contigo/Getty-file photo]

A truck carrying gas cylinders blew up on a stretch of motorway between the Lebanese cities of Beirut and Jounieh on Friday.

The driver ran away as his vehicle became engulfed in flames, the Lebanese MTV broadcaster said.

Efforts to contact him failed and his mobile phone was turned off, MTV reported.

Explosion of a truck carrying fuel !

No safety standards and requirements will result in more !#Lebanon #لبنان pic.twitter.com/XxgUWa7Eul
— Ariane Elmas (@ArianeElmas) February 11, 2022

No one is known to have been wounded in the incident, which can be seen in footage posted to Twitter, though two cars suffered damage.

The blast occurred around 11 miles from Beirut in the town of Kaslik. Authorities were able to put out the blaze.

Traffic was brought to a standstill in both directions on the road between Beirut and Jounieh, though the disruption hit drivers heading away from the capital worst.