BEIRUT: An explosion Wednesday at a munitions depot in east Lebanon killed three of the resistance party’s fighters, the group said in a statement.

“The blast [in Nabi Sheet] led the unfortunate martyrdom of three of our Mujahedeen brothers as well as a number of wounded,” Hezbollah said.

Security sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Daily Star that around midday an explosion at a four-story building in Nabi Sheet, Baalbek, killed at least three people and wounded four others.

The sources said the building, which belonged to a man identified as Mohammad Adnan Mussawi, collapsed as a result of the magnitude of the explosion and that Hezbollah cordoned off the site soon after the blast.

The casualties of the explosion have yet to be identified, the sources added.

They said it was not yet clear what triggered the blast.

In its statement, Hezbollah said the blast took place at a munitions depot in its control.

“As a clarification to what occurred today in Nabi Sheet, according to Hezbollah’s sources an explosion occurred at a munitions depot where old shells and ammunition as well as ordnance from the Israeli shelling of the area were gathered,” it said.

“Work is under way with relevant authorities to deal with aftereffects of the incident," the statement added.

Nabi Sheet lies 80 kilometers from Beirut. The town is known for its residents' staunch support of Hezbollah and was the hometown of former Hezbollah Secretary-General Sayyed Abbas al- Mussawi