Beirut [Lebanon], December 11 (ANI): Several people were killed and many injured in an explosion at south Lebanon Palestinian camp on Friday.

The explosion took place at a Hamas weapons depot in the Burj Al-Shemali camp and a judge had ordered security forces to launch an investigation, reported state media.

Also Read | China's Real Estate Collapse Trigger Financial Meltdown Like US Subprime Crisis?.

A Palestinian source inside the camp said at least 12 people had been injured and there were an unknown number of fatalities, reported Arab News.

Videos from the scene shared by local media show a number of small bright red flashes above the southern city, followed by a large explosion and the sound of glass breaking.

Also Read | UNHCR Expresses Concern About Rapid Migration Under Taliban Rule in Afghanistan.

Shehab News Agency, seen as close to Hamas, quoted a Palestinian source as saying the explosion was caused by the ignition of oxygen canisters stored for use in fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

The surrounding area had been evacuated and rescue crews had deployed, the Palestinian source said, reported Arab News.

A number of armed Palestinian factions, including Hamas and the Fatah Movement, hold effective control over roughly a dozen Palestinian camps in the country, which Lebanese authorities by custom do not enter. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)