Syrian dies of swallowing gasoline in fuel-strapped Lebanon

Lebanon's national news agency says a Syrian man has died after swallowing gasoline he was siphoning out of his vehicle’s tank with a plastic tube

BEIRUT -- A Syrian man has died after swallowing gasoline he was siphoning out of his vehicle’s tank with a plastic tube, Lebanon’s national news agency reported Saturday.

Lebanon is witnessing a paralyzing fuel shortage that has driven the public to hoard gasoline and resort to black-market vendors, while many businesses have been forced to shut down. A diesel shortage has also caused extended blackouts, in a country dependent on private generators.

People queuing for several kilometers (miles) to fill up their tanks are a daily occurrence at gas stations across the country. The long lines have often descended into chaos, and sometimes violence.

Amid the shortage, men peddle gasoline on the street in plastic bottles. People sometimes use plastic hoses to siphon fuel, filling bottles either to sell on the black market or fill other vehicles. Fuel smuggling to neighboring Syria, in private vehicles or in trucks, also became rampant, with many blaming it for deepening the crisis.