‘Beirut is gone’ says AFP Lebanese sports journalist Rayane Moussallem
The aftermath of yesterday’s blast at Beirut’s port on August 5, 2020. (Photo by Getty Images)
LAUSANNE, August 5, 2020 – “I was about to leave the office, my work is around 5km away from where the explosion happened. I was in the toilet washing my hands and at the beginning it felt like an earthquake. As soon as I opened the door, the explosion hit. Everything fell down from our desks, our papers and mobiles. Everybody felt it was an earthquake. When we realized it was an explosion we remained speechless. Everyone started crying. I can’t put into words what we felt. Beirut is gone.”
These are just the first feelings expressed by one of our colleauges, Rayane Moussallem, AFP sports journalist and former AIPS Young Reporter after the large blast in the port of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which has killed more than 100 people and injured more than 4,000 while dozens are still missing, as reported by the health minister of the country.
EARTHQUAKE? “The first thing we did was trying to contact our families and close friends, but it was hard due to the connection that was cut off all over the country,” says Moussallem, “a lot of people, including my brother and sister at home, felt like it was an earthquake. A couple of hours later, I managed to leave the office. The damages on my way were already incredible: my city is gone, there were glasses on the road, everything was broken around the area. My parents were in the countryside, in the mountains around 45km away from Beirut and felt it just like nearly everywhere across Lebanon, it even reached Nicosia, Cyprus.”
DAMAGES “Now they are reporting that we have more than 80 victims, with 4,000 injured people and we don’t know how many more still missing,” reports the Lebanese sports journalist. “Parents, colleagues and friends are filling social media with photos and names of their beloved one still unreached. Media are saying this was one of the biggest explosion in our difficult history.” Rayane remembers the situation from 15 years ago when Beirut was used to being hit by explosions monthly. “I have never felt so scared, despite what we lived in 2005. There were many explosions in the year of our prime minister’s assasination, but we never ever felt something like this. We’re describing it as a nightmare or the apocalypse, so many people have lost their houses and they have no place to go but a lot of people are offering help.
CAUSES Authorities said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse. Ammonium nitrate is used as a fertiliser in agriculture and as an explosive as reported by BBC and today the Minister of Health asked Beirut citizens to leave the city because of the fear of damage provoked by the toxicity of the air. “There will be lots of investigations about the causes,” continues our colleague, “there are a lot of theories but everyone’s speaking about substances which should not have stayed there.”
SEMI-LOCKDOWN After a high increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the past few weeks, the government had decided to put the country in a semi-lockdown phase with 5 days of lockdown followed by two open days. “Yesterday was the first day of ‘normality’, the streets were full,” explains Moussallem. “If this had happened on Monday, maybe the victims would have been less. My family and close friends are safe, thank God, but last night I received the news that a girl I know from my bank - she was in her 20s, we used to chat and talk - has passed away. I saw her in the list of missing people at the beginning and recognised her and then discovered that she passed away. I cried all night.”
HOSPITAL AND ASSISTANCE The non-stop sound of sirens passing by announced the dramatic moments for hospitals and health workers and volunteers assisting thousands of wounded people. “Hospitals have been damaged as well due to the blast and lots of doctors and nurses too were wounded,” the former AIPS Young Reporter confirms. “They were damaged and overcrowded, people piled up on the floor and there were requests not to bring anymore wounded people. Lots of countries offered help in assisting our hospitals and bringing mobile hospitals already today.”
Moussallem concludes: “We have been asked to work from home but of course we don’t know anything about what will happen next. Today Europa League will resume and I will write from home. We have three days of mourning! Our hearts are broken. We feel like our city is gone.”
These are just the first feelings expressed by one of our colleauges, Rayane Moussallem, AFP sports journalist and former AIPS Young Reporter after the large blast in the port of the Lebanese capital, Beirut, which has killed more than 100 people and injured more than 4,000 while dozens are still missing, as reported by the health minister of the country.
EARTHQUAKE? “The first thing we did was trying to contact our families and close friends, but it was hard due to the connection that was cut off all over the country,” says Moussallem, “a lot of people, including my brother and sister at home, felt like it was an earthquake. A couple of hours later, I managed to leave the office. The damages on my way were already incredible: my city is gone, there were glasses on the road, everything was broken around the area. My parents were in the countryside, in the mountains around 45km away from Beirut and felt it just like nearly everywhere across Lebanon, it even reached Nicosia, Cyprus.”
DAMAGES “Now they are reporting that we have more than 80 victims, with 4,000 injured people and we don’t know how many more still missing,” reports the Lebanese sports journalist. “Parents, colleagues and friends are filling social media with photos and names of their beloved one still unreached. Media are saying this was one of the biggest explosion in our difficult history.” Rayane remembers the situation from 15 years ago when Beirut was used to being hit by explosions monthly. “I have never felt so scared, despite what we lived in 2005. There were many explosions in the year of our prime minister’s assasination, but we never ever felt something like this. We’re describing it as a nightmare or the apocalypse, so many people have lost their houses and they have no place to go but a lot of people are offering help.
CAUSES Authorities said the blast was caused by 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored unsafely in a warehouse. Ammonium nitrate is used as a fertiliser in agriculture and as an explosive as reported by BBC and today the Minister of Health asked Beirut citizens to leave the city because of the fear of damage provoked by the toxicity of the air. “There will be lots of investigations about the causes,” continues our colleague, “there are a lot of theories but everyone’s speaking about substances which should not have stayed there.”
SEMI-LOCKDOWN After a high increase in the number of coronavirus cases in the past few weeks, the government had decided to put the country in a semi-lockdown phase with 5 days of lockdown followed by two open days. “Yesterday was the first day of ‘normality’, the streets were full,” explains Moussallem. “If this had happened on Monday, maybe the victims would have been less. My family and close friends are safe, thank God, but last night I received the news that a girl I know from my bank - she was in her 20s, we used to chat and talk - has passed away. I saw her in the list of missing people at the beginning and recognised her and then discovered that she passed away. I cried all night.”
HOSPITAL AND ASSISTANCE The non-stop sound of sirens passing by announced the dramatic moments for hospitals and health workers and volunteers assisting thousands of wounded people. “Hospitals have been damaged as well due to the blast and lots of doctors and nurses too were wounded,” the former AIPS Young Reporter confirms. “They were damaged and overcrowded, people piled up on the floor and there were requests not to bring anymore wounded people. Lots of countries offered help in assisting our hospitals and bringing mobile hospitals already today.”
Moussallem concludes: “We have been asked to work from home but of course we don’t know anything about what will happen next. Today Europa League will resume and I will write from home. We have three days of mourning! Our hearts are broken. We feel like our city is gone.”
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