BEIRUT, Lebanon - A Syrian man was killed while five other Syrians, including the deceased man's son, were injured in an explosion in a scrap metal shop in eastern Lebanon on Thursday, security officials said.

Hassan Kaderi was using a fire rod to open a closed barrel at his store in the town of Bar Elias in the eastern Bekaa Valley, the officials said.

The bullets caught fire and the barrel exploded, killing the 40-year-old instantly, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the media.

Kaderi's injured son and the four other Syrians in the shop were taken to a hospital for treatment. The victim apparently did not know the barrel contained bullets when he tried to open it, the officials said. -Agencies