‘Just overnight we lost so much. It is unbelievable.’
HOW MANY TIMES WILL WE HAVE TO REBUILD OUR LIVES, LEBANESE EXPATS SAY
Lebanese expats in the UAE have been left devastated by the destruction and deaths caused by the twin explosions in Beirut on Tuesday.
As rescue workers dug through the rubble looking for survivors, expats mourned the loss of family, friends, businesses and property. Many spent a sleepless night, worrying about their loved ones back home.
‘Our office and warehouses are completely destroyed’
Ulma Joueidi said her family business had come to an end. “Just overnight we have lost so much. It is unbelievable. Our office and warehouses that are a part of our exhibition and events business were in Al Ashrafiya area close to the blast site and have been completely destroyed,” she said.
“All I can do is pray, think positive and look ahead. My heart aches and I cried all night. Now I just feel tired.”
‘We were like brothers and now he is gone’
Abu Dhabi resident and engineer Bashar Abdul Samad, 31, n is mourning the loss of childhood friend Mazen Zewyhed. “When I heard about the blasts, I called my family first. Once I knew they were safe I started calling my friends. That is when I found out that Mazen was missing. I messaged him... tried calling him, but was unable to reach. After four dreadful hours, another friend called me to say that he was gone. I am devastated,” Samad said.
Samad said he did not have too many friends and Mazen was really special. “We lived in the same neighbourhood — Choueifat. We went out together, had common friends. Our parents knew each other. We were like brothers,” he said.
“He was working when he lost his life. Mazen wanted to move out of Lebanon and work in Africa, but that was not to happen,” he added: “I am yet to find courage to speak to his family.”
‘I would have been there’
Noor Sankary, 36, said his flat in downtown Beirut was badly damaged. “The glass panes shattered in the aftermath and my balcony door is gone,” said Sankary whose flat is just 10km away from the blast site.
He is also grieving the loss of a friend. “My brother’s friend, who was a friend of mine as well, died,” he said. Sankary was to travel to Lebanon for Eid and stay for a couple of days. “I
My mother was driving past a school when the blast occurred. A security guard, who was holding onto a metal gate, just flew in the air with the gate in his hand! She was clueless about what happened to him. It is dystopian at its worst.”
Rana Al Hassan | Lebanese expat living in the UAE
put it off at the last minute as I got busy with work. I would have been there,” he said.
‘I got to speak to my brother after four hours’
Layla A could not reach her family after hearing about the blast. “A friend texted me, asking if my family was all right. That was when I switched on the TV to see the news. I was shocked. Immediately I started calling my family, but it was only after four hours that I got to speak to my brother for just five minutes. I have been crying ever since.”
Layla said her brother’s house was totally destroyed. “He has three young children. When and how will he rebuild the house?” she said. “How many more times will the people of Lebanon have to rebuild their lives?”
‘We will have to live through this horror for a long time’
Rana Al Hassan’s mother, brother and grandmother live in Beirut’s Al Hamra area. She said her mother was a witness to the explosions. “My mother was driving past a school when the blasts occurred. A security guard, who was holding onto a metal gate, just flew in the air with the gate in his hand! She was clueless about what happened to him. It is dystopian at its worst,” Rana said.
“We will have to live through this horror for a long time. Thankfully, my family is safe but the house is damaged,” she said of the house where the family has lived for nearly 15 years.
Rana said many of her neighbours were still missing.