Explosion in Lebanon kills at least 1, injures 7, officials say

Lebanese security inspect the damage after an explosion in the town of Banaafoul near the port city of Sidon, Lebanon, April 12, 2022. (AP Photo/Mohammad Zaatari)

BEIRUT — At least one person was killed and seven were injured in an explosion at a scout centre affiliated with the Shi'ite Amal Movement near Sidon in southern Lebanon, officials told Reuters early on Tuesday.

The blast demolished the building and army personnel were searching through the rubble for any further casualties, sources added. The explosion also damaged the town hall nearby.

One security source told Reuters the explosion was not an act of sabotage, without disclosing further details.

On Dec. 10, a large blast rocked a Palestinian camp in the southern Lebanese port city of Tyre, injuring about a dozen people, according to rescue workers on scene and a Palestinian source inside the camp.

The state-run National News Agency (NNA) reported that the blast emanated from a Hamas weapons depot in the Burj al-Shemali camp and a judge had ordered security forces to launch an investigation.

(Reporting by Laila Bassam; writing by Yasmin Hussein and Lilian Wagdy; editing by Kim Coghill and Kenneth Maxwell)