Protesters clash with police in Beirut after deadly explosion
Anti-government demonstrators protest outside the residence of Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati in Beirut, Lebanon, Sunday, Aug. 15, 2021. Protesters gathered on the streets of Beirut a day after the killing of at least 20 people due to a warehouse explosion where fuel was illegally being stored. (AP Photo/ Hassan Ammar)
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UPDATED 10:15 AM PT – Monday, August 16, 2021
Police clashed with protesters trying to storm the house of Lebanon Prime Minister-designate Najib Mikati. Demonstrators reportedly took to the streets in Beirut on Sunday, just one day after a warehouse explosion killed 28 people and injured at least 79.
The explosion occurred as a result of fuel being illegally stored in the facility as the country faces a severe fuel shortage. Protesters believe that widespread government corruption has resulted in electricity cuts, in turn, forcing many homes, businesses and hospitals to rely on generators that are now being turned off due to the current fuel shortages.
“We identify the fact that everything that is happening to the Lebanese people today is because of this corrupt (government),” said protester Carmen Khoury. “We went them out; we do not want anything from them anymore. We want Mikati to resign and get out of this completely. We want the president of this republic to resign also.”
#Lebanon wakes up to horrific news. At least 20 ppl killed & 79 injured, says Red Cross, in a fuel tanker explosion in Akkar in northern Lebanon. The country is struggling to keep hospitals open as fuel supplies dwindle & electricity cuts become the norm. pic.twitter.com/ioZFuJCPYo
— Arwa Ibrahim (@arwaib) August 15, 2021
Lebanon’s former prime minister called on Lebanese officials, including President Michel Aoun, to take responsibility for the explosion and resign.
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