Lebanese struggle to keep warm as winter storm slams Middle East

MENA

Published: 2022-01-20 16:23

Last Updated: 2024-03-27 16:55


Credit: AFP
Credit: AFP

Lebanese people are struggling to keep warm in the town of Ain Qenia in the Hasbaya district, south of the country, as a winter storm slams the region.

Lebanon is in the throes of an economic meltdown dubbed by the World Bank as among the planet's worst since the 1850s. It is widely blamed on nepotism and corruption among the country's ruling class.

Around 80 percent of Lebanon's population is now estimated to be living under the poverty line.

“The firewood situation is dire here. We used to buy fuel for heating, 100 USD used to be enough to buy us two to three barrels of fuel that would last us all winter. Today, a barrel of fuel costs 200 USD, so we're using firewood instead,” Jamil Hudifa, Ain Qenia resident, told AFP.

Another resident said “The weather conditions are as you see... temperatures have reached below zero, and it's extremely cold. Regarding fuel, God help people, it's a very difficult situation. People can barely afford to buy fuel, and if they can, it's in very small quantities. We take it day by day here, we don't know what will happen to us tomorrow.”