Lebanese man sets himself on fire amid poor living conditions

By Stephanie Rady

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) – A Lebanese man set himself on fire on Monday in protest of the deteriorating living conditions in the crisis-hit country.

According to the local An-Nahar newspaper, a young man set himself alight in the Bab al-Raml area in the northern city of Tripoli over his inability to provide food for his family.

He was saved by local residents and rushed to the hospital for treatment.

Tripoli has seen mass protests since early morning against the poor living conditions and lack of fuel for electricity generation in the country.

Lebanon is facing a severe economic crisis, with the local currency losing nearly all its value against the US dollar. Streets across the country are witnessing massive protests and rallies.

The country has been unable to come up with a new administration since the resignation of Hassan Diab's cabinet on Aug. 10, 2020, six days after the massive blast that hit Port of Beirut.

Last month, the World Bank described the crisis in Lebanon as "the most severe in the world" and ranked it among the three most difficult crises recorded in history since the mid-nineteenth century.

*Bassel Barakat contributed to this report from Ankara