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dpa
Beirut
Anger and tears marked Lebanon’s first anniversary on Wednesday of a massive explosion at the Beirut port, as families of the victims pressed for justice and accountability.
“We just want to see justice being done,” the sister of Charbel Hiti, a firefighter who died in the blast, shouted as she marched from the fire station where her brother was based in Karantina near the Beirut port.
Clad in black, the families of the 10 firefighters who were the first to arrive when the fire started at the Beirut port carried pictures of their dead loved ones and walked towards the port.
“We received our beloved ones in pieces,” shouted William Noun, a brother of fighter Joe Noun. The families of the firefighters were joined by a group of Lebanese protesters, civilians, doctors and nurses carrying Lebanese flags in an area near the port.
“We will not forget. We will not forgive,” one placard read.
A huge banner hung on a building overlooking the port read: “Hostages of a murderous state.”
Other buildings displayed another banner reading: “Here seven people died.” Most families expressed their dismay that, one year later, it remains unclear who brought and improperly stored the large shipment of ammonium nitrate that caused the explosion.
“The families of the victims started their day by visiting the graves of their loved ones,” said Ibrahim Hoteit, a representative of the victims.
According to Hoteit’s records, 218 people were killed in the blast. Several official records have put the death toll at just more than 190. Lebanon has declared Wednesday a national day of mourning to commemorate the anniversary of the disaster, which also wounded some 6,000 people and displaced 300,000 more.
Shops, banks and businesses were closed, while government buildings flew their flags at half mast.
“It is a sad day for all the Lebanese. Despite surviving this massive explosion, we are dead inside,” said Rita Hassan, as she held a symbolic white rose near the Beirut port.
Streets across the capital were deserted, while tight security measures were in place near the port area.
“Since yesterday I started feeling pain all over my body as if the scars of my wounds have opened again,” Enaam Kayal, who was severely injured in the blast, told dpa.
Kayal, who had more than 200 stitches all over her body, recently had to postpone planned eye surgery due to a lack of funding.
Hospitals that were severely damaged in the blast and lost some of their staff also held private masses inside their premises to mourn the dead. The families of the victims plan to march to the port, where a mass service will be held at the exact time of the blast, at 6:07 pm (1507 GMT).
In the Vatican, meanwhile, Pope Francis called upon the international community to help Lebanon.
Concrete gestures are important, rather than words, Francis told a general audience of a few hundred faithful. He expressed his thoughts for the victims, their families, the many injured and those who had lost their home or work.
Francis was speaking ahead of an international aid conference on Lebanon, organized by France. The videoconference aims at supporting the civilian population in the crisis-ridden country.
French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, European Council President Charles Michel and Lebanese President Michel Aoun are due to participate, as well as Lebanese civil society representatives.
The victims’ families threatened on Monday to escalate their protest at the slow pace of the investigation into the blast.
They also called on parliament to lift the immunity of lawmakers and Lebanese security officials whom they accuse of negligence.
“From the depth of my conscience, I say to our beloved capital, Beirut, the truth will emerge and every guilty person will receive his punishment and you will rise again,” Aoun said in a televised speech on Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that the investigation into the explosion had failed to meet international standards. It called on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international, independent probe.
Beirut
Anger and tears marked Lebanon’s first anniversary on Wednesday of a massive explosion at the Beirut port, as families of the victims pressed for justice and accountability.
“We just want to see justice being done,” the sister of Charbel Hiti, a firefighter who died in the blast, shouted as she marched from the fire station where her brother was based in Karantina near the Beirut port.
Clad in black, the families of the 10 firefighters who were the first to arrive when the fire started at the Beirut port carried pictures of their dead loved ones and walked towards the port.
“We received our beloved ones in pieces,” shouted William Noun, a brother of fighter Joe Noun. The families of the firefighters were joined by a group of Lebanese protesters, civilians, doctors and nurses carrying Lebanese flags in an area near the port.
“We will not forget. We will not forgive,” one placard read.
A huge banner hung on a building overlooking the port read: “Hostages of a murderous state.”
Other buildings displayed another banner reading: “Here seven people died.” Most families expressed their dismay that, one year later, it remains unclear who brought and improperly stored the large shipment of ammonium nitrate that caused the explosion.
“The families of the victims started their day by visiting the graves of their loved ones,” said Ibrahim Hoteit, a representative of the victims.
According to Hoteit’s records, 218 people were killed in the blast. Several official records have put the death toll at just more than 190. Lebanon has declared Wednesday a national day of mourning to commemorate the anniversary of the disaster, which also wounded some 6,000 people and displaced 300,000 more.
Shops, banks and businesses were closed, while government buildings flew their flags at half mast.
“It is a sad day for all the Lebanese. Despite surviving this massive explosion, we are dead inside,” said Rita Hassan, as she held a symbolic white rose near the Beirut port.
Streets across the capital were deserted, while tight security measures were in place near the port area.
“Since yesterday I started feeling pain all over my body as if the scars of my wounds have opened again,” Enaam Kayal, who was severely injured in the blast, told dpa.
Kayal, who had more than 200 stitches all over her body, recently had to postpone planned eye surgery due to a lack of funding.
Hospitals that were severely damaged in the blast and lost some of their staff also held private masses inside their premises to mourn the dead. The families of the victims plan to march to the port, where a mass service will be held at the exact time of the blast, at 6:07 pm (1507 GMT).
In the Vatican, meanwhile, Pope Francis called upon the international community to help Lebanon.
Concrete gestures are important, rather than words, Francis told a general audience of a few hundred faithful. He expressed his thoughts for the victims, their families, the many injured and those who had lost their home or work.
Francis was speaking ahead of an international aid conference on Lebanon, organized by France. The videoconference aims at supporting the civilian population in the crisis-ridden country.
French President Emmanuel Macron, US President Joe Biden, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, European Council President Charles Michel and Lebanese President Michel Aoun are due to participate, as well as Lebanese civil society representatives.
The victims’ families threatened on Monday to escalate their protest at the slow pace of the investigation into the blast.
They also called on parliament to lift the immunity of lawmakers and Lebanese security officials whom they accuse of negligence.
“From the depth of my conscience, I say to our beloved capital, Beirut, the truth will emerge and every guilty person will receive his punishment and you will rise again,” Aoun said in a televised speech on Tuesday.
Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday that the investigation into the explosion had failed to meet international standards. It called on the UN Human Rights Council to establish an international, independent probe.
