'Five dead' in Lebanon protests

At least 40 protesters were injured

Five people are reported to have been shot dead and dozens hurt in Lebanon's capital as soldiers tried to disperse protests against rising fuel costs.

Demonstrators also stormed a Labour Ministry building in Beirut and set it on fire.

Correspondents say it was the worst day of public unrest there for a decade.

The protests took place on a day which saw schools, businesses and public transport close down in response to a strike call by labour unions.

The strike was the latest in a series of protests against the state of the economy in Lebanon in recent months.

The rising cost of living has created discontent amongst the poor towards the country's economic policies, observers say.

Shia stronghold

Security officials said soldiers fired warning shots to disperse about 600 protesters in the poor suburb of Hay al-Sellom, but some people were hit.

The demonstrators turned their anger on Lebanese troops

Lebanese public prosecutor Adnan Addoum was quoted as saying at least five people, including a woman, had been killed, but added the toll was likely to change.

At least 40 people were injured in the clashes, during which protesters reportedly tried to seize an army truck.

Witnesses said protesters threw stones, glass and pieces of wood at soldiers in Hay al-Sellom, while drivers blocked the main Beirut-Damascus highway with burning tyres for a short time.

Hay al-Sellom is a stronghold of the Shia Muslim guerrilla movement and political party Hezbollah, the BBC's Kim Ghattas reports from Beirut.

The protesters were demanding a reduction of petrol prices from about $17 to $10 for 20 litres.

Some protesters waved loaves of bread and carried placards depicting donkeys they would need to replace their cars if fuel prices continued to increase.

Oil summit

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has demanded an inquiry into the unrest, while the labour union which had backed the strike called for an end to the protests.

The unrest comes ahead of a meeting of the oil producers' cartel Opec in Beirut next week.

Opec is under intense international pressure to boost output and thereby lower high oil prices which have hit economies worldwide.