BSALIM: George Bezdjian remembers searching for his daughter, Jessica, after a massive explosion at Beirut’s port five years ago. He found her at the St. Georges Hospital where she worked as a nurse.
The hospital was in the path of the blast and was heavily damaged. He found his daughter lying on the floor as her colleagues tried to revive her. They weren’t able to save her. She was one of four medical staff killed there.
“I started telling God that living for 60 years is more than enough. If you’re going to take someone from the family, take me and leave her alive,” he told The Associated Press from his home in Bsalim, some 10 kilometers (6.2 miles) away from the port. He sat in a corner where he put up portraits of Jessica next to burning incense to honor her.
“I begged him, but he didn’t reply to me.”
The Aug. 4, 2020 blast in Beirut’s port tore through the Lebanese capital after hundreds of tons of ammonium nitrate detonated in a warehouse. The gigantic explosion killed at least 218 people, according to an AP count, wounded more than 6,000 others and devastated large swathes of Beirut, causing billions of dollars in damages.
