Two people were killed during a fight over gasoline in northern Lebanon, the National News Agency (NNA) reported on Monday.
“H.J.” and “A.A.” died during the fight, which started in the village of Beddaoui and later spread into the Bab El-Tabbaneh area in Tripoli.
Shots were fired and a hand grenade was used as those involved fought over the buying and selling of gasoline, according to the NNA.
This comes amid a shortage of fuel that has created a black market for gasoline and diesel fuel in some areas in Lebanon.
Medics from the Islamic Medical Association arrived at the scene following the incident and transported the deceased to the Islamic Hospital in Tripoli.
The Lebanese Army has since deployed heavily outside the said hospital to prevent any escalations.
Usually a common commodity, gasoline is now considered a scarce resource in areas where gas stations have adopted extreme rationing measures, in another product of Lebanon’s economic crisis.
Despite the efforts of security forces to expose and combat monopolies, many gas stations continue to hide their reserves of fuel to make extra profits on the black market.
