At least 28 people were killed overnight in northern Lebanon when a fuel truck exploded in Akkar. 

The Lebanese Red Cross confirmed that around 80 others were injured, but its teams are still searching for more. 

According to Roya's correspondent in Lebanon, the exact circumstances that led to the explosion are still unknown, as authorities investigate and gather testimonies. 

The Lebanese Army's statement on the matter read, "On August 15, 2021, at around two in the morning, a fuel tank exploded inside a plot of land used to store pebbles in the town of Al-Talil - Akkar that the army had confiscated to distribute what was inside it to the citizens, which led to a number of casualties among civilians and soldiers. Investigations were launched under the supervision of the competent judiciary to find out the circumstances of the explosion."

Following the statement, the Lebanese army announced the arrest of the son of the owner of the plot of land where a fuel tank exploded.

The wounded are being treated in hospitals around Akkar and Tripoli, and urgent calls for blood donations have been issued. 

In recent weeks, there has been a critical shortage of fuel in Lebanon, and, according to the country's Daily Star newspaper, "several fuel tankers have been hijacked by villagers and residents of towns," which is what is initially believed to be the case with the fuel tanker that exploded. 

Saturday, Lebanon's premiere hospital, American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC) issued a warning that if the hospital did not receive fuel by Monday, it would be forced to shut down, killing 55 people instantly, and hundreds more in the coming weeks and months. 

Most bakeries, gas stations, and pharmacies have also been forced to shut down. 

For the last two years, Lebanon has suffered from an extreme economic and political crisis that has seen the Lebanese Lira decline nearly 90 percent against the dollar, in what the World Bank has called one of the worst economic catastrophes since the 1850s. 

The crisis was made worse by the Aug. 4 Beirut Port explosion, which killed over 200. Investigations on the blast have been inconclusive, and Lebanese are angry that their leaders have not been held to account for storing huge tons of ammonium nitrate in the Port for years. 

Lebanese President Aoun called for an investigation into the causes of the Akkar explosion, while the former Lebanese Prime Minister, Saad Hariri, demanded the resignation of the President of the Republic following the explosion.