Beirut: a fight at a gas station in North Lebanon on a rare fuel supply down to deadly violence on Monday, turning to a battle with a knife and weapons that killed a man, the country’s news agency said.
Lebanon faces months of severe fuel shortages that have pushed a long line at the gas station and spread a small state, depending on the private generator for power, it becomes dark hours.
Lack of blame on smuggling, stockpiling and inability of the government that lacks money to secure the delivery of imported fuel.
The crisis deteriorated when the government reduced subsidies on fuel amid the increasingly deep financial crisis since 2019.
The Lebanese currency has dropped and is now sold at 20,000 Lebanese pounds to dollars in the Dark Market while the official rate for $ 1.
The price of one fuel gallon increased by more than 220 percent last year, triggering panic and developing dark markets.
The fuel crisis has turned into violence before, with riders clashing at the gas station after waiting for a long time and fuel runs out.
But Monday’s fight was a deadly rare tension incident.
The National News Agency said it began with Fistfight at a gas station in Bakhoun, a village in the North Dinniyeh region.
A man was shot in riots; He was taken to the hospital in the nearest city of Zgharta where he died of his wound, the agency said.
The shooter handed himself to the authorities.
“The situation is very difficult, and we cannot handle it longer,” said Fadi Abu Shakra, a fuel distributor spokesperson told Al-Jadeed TV, a local station.
The Lebanese national electricity company, depending on imported fuel, has expanded a rolling blackout system, only giving around one hour of electricity a day to home and business.
This encourages private generator operators to turn off their machines to reduce fuel consumption, drop the entire area dark for hours.
The hospital has warned that they cannot secure Diesel, threatening the health sector that has struggled with a medical facility shutdown.