3 workers injured in Gaza tunnel explosion

Three workers were injured Tuesday when a gas canister exploded in a smuggling tunnel under the Gaza-Egypt border, a Gaza official said. Civil defense spokesman Muhammad al-Mathana told Ma'an that a fire broke out after a gas canister being transferred to Gaza exploded. Three workers suffered serious burns and were taken to a hospital in Gaza, al-Matahan added. In January, al-Mezan Center for Human Rights urged the Gaza government to implement better safety measures and assess the benefits of the network as a whole, saying 232 people had been killed in collapsing tunnels. "Most of the people who work in tunnels are from very low-income backgrounds and have been forced to undertake this kind of work to provide for their families under the difficult socio-economic conditions caused by the Israeli siege on Gaza," the group said.