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Nine Killed, 76 Injured after Diesel Truck Catches Fire in Central Libya

People queue with jerry cans to fill up fuel for home electric generators at a petrol station in Libya's capital Tripoli on July 4, 2022 amidst a fuel and energy crisis. (AFP)
People queue with jerry cans to fill up fuel for home electric generators at a petrol station in Libya's capital Tripoli on July 4, 2022 amidst a fuel and energy crisis. (AFP)
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Nine Killed, 76 Injured after Diesel Truck Catches Fire in Central Libya

People queue with jerry cans to fill up fuel for home electric generators at a petrol station in Libya's capital Tripoli on July 4, 2022 amidst a fuel and energy crisis. (AFP)
People queue with jerry cans to fill up fuel for home electric generators at a petrol station in Libya's capital Tripoli on July 4, 2022 amidst a fuel and energy crisis. (AFP)

A fuel tanker truck caught fire and exploded Monday in central Libya, killing at least nine people and injuring 76 others, health authorities said.

The incident took place in the central town of Bent Bayya when the tanker truck overturned before catching fire and exploding, the state-run Libya News agency reported.

The agency said residents in the area rushed to collect leaked gasoline despite warnings of possible fire and explosion, causing the high casualty tolls.

Such incidents occasionally happen in impoverished areas where safety measures are mostly neglected.

The state-run Emergency Services in the area gave the casualty tolls. The injured were taken to the medical center in the nearby city of Sabha, said Halima al-Mahri, a spokeswoman for the center.

Al-Mahri said at least 16 critically injured were evacuated to hospitals in the capital of Tripoli and the eastern city of Benghazi.

The center posted footage, including graphic images, of people at an emergency ward receiving treatment for their burns.

It was not immediately clear what caused the tanker to overturn and explode. Fathi Bashagha, one of Libya’s rival prime ministers, said he ordered an investigation into the incident.

Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah, head of the Tripoli-based Government of National Unity, said in a tweet that authorities were "closely following the disaster in Bent Bayya municipality."

Dbeibah said that instructions were given to transfer the injured people to major hospitals.

Libya has suffered a fuel shortage since 2014 when the country was divided by a war in which rival factions are battling for power following an uprising that toppled longtime leader Moammar al-Gaddafi in 2011.

In many cities citizens have to wait in long queues, sometimes for hours, to refuel their vehicles.

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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
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Houthi Charges of Espionage: A Tool to Intimidate, Control the Population

Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)
Houthis demonstrate in the center of the capital Sanaa against American and British strikes on their positions. (AP)

The Houthi militia has recently released several individuals it had abducted for celebrating Yemen’s September Revolution. However, over the past few days, it has detained hundreds of residents in its stronghold of Saada, accusing them of espionage.

The campaign coincides with the airing of alleged confessions from a purported spy cell and the abduction of a former employee of the US Embassy in Yemen.

Local sources in Saada province, approximately 242 kilometers north of Sanaa, report that the Houthis have launched a widespread campaign of arrests targeting civilians. These individuals have been taken from their homes, workplaces, and businesses under allegations of collaborating with Western nations and Israel. Families of those detained have been warned to remain silent and refrain from discussing the arrests with the media or on social media platforms.

According to the sources, more than 300 individuals, including dozens of women, have been abducted across various districts in Saada. The arrests have also targeted relatives and associates of Othman Mujalli, a member of Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council, who hails from the region.

The sources suggest that the Houthis are detaining women as hostages to pressure their relatives, who may either be out of the militia’s reach or living outside Houthi-controlled areas. They also appear to be using the women to coerce confessions from male relatives. Last month, the Houthis accused Hamid Mujalli, Othman Mujalli’s brother, of engaging in espionage for Arab and Western nations for nearly two decades.

In a separate incident, the Houthis abducted a former employee of the US Embassy in Sanaa from his home on Monday without providing any explanation for their actions.

Release of Detainees

The Houthis recently released Sheikh Amin Rajeh, a tribal leader from Ibb province, after detaining him for four months. Several other individuals were also freed, none of whom had been formally charged during their detention. Rajeh, a member of the General People’s Congress Party, was one of many political activists, students, workers, and public employees abducted in September for celebrating Yemen’s September 26, 1962, revolution.

One of the released individuals, a shop owner, told Asharq Al-Awsat that he was unaware of the reason for his detention. He had been abducted in November, two months after the Houthis initiated a crackdown on those commemorating the revolution.

Alleged Spy Cell

Houthi-controlled media recently broadcast confessions from what they claimed was a newly uncovered spy cell. The group linked the cell to its broader narrative of “promised conquest and sacred jihad” against the West and Israel.

According to Houthi security officials, the alleged spy cell was working to compile a “target database,” monitor sites linked to missile forces and drones, and track specific military and security locations. They also claimed the cell had been observing the residences and movements of Houthi leaders.

In response, the Houthis issued warnings to residents, forbidding them from discussing or sharing information about militia-controlled sites, facilities, or the whereabouts of their leaders.

The Houthis’ actions reflect mounting concerns over potential strikes targeting their senior leadership, similar to the recent attacks on Hezbollah figures in Lebanon. Those fears come amid ongoing tensions with Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom, following the Houthis’ assaults on international shipping lanes in the Red Sea and missile attacks on Israel.