Beirut explosion: “We were saved by a miracle”

Hayat survived the recent explosion that devastated Beirut. One of her sons was badly injured in the blast and her apartment was severely damaged. When our team visited her home to assess the damage, she told us about her terrifying experience.

On 4 August 2020, a massive explosion hit Beirut port, causing extensive damage to the entire capital city. At least 178 people have died and more than 6,000 were injured. The Government of Lebanon estimates that the explosions have left more than 300,000 people homeless.

Hayat, 70, is one of the thousands of people who were directly affected by the blast. She lives in the Karantina district, which is less than 1 km from the explosion site. Her sons live with their own families on different floors of the same three-storey building.

This was Hayat’s experience, in her own words.

I was sitting on the terrace when the first explosion happened. I thought that aeroplanes were bombing us. I immediately ran inside to get some of my key documents and my purse when the second explosion happened. It was so loud, and it blew me off the ground.

“We are lucky he survived”

I didn’t know what to do. My first thought was that my sons could not have survived this. Then, I saw my son, Giofar, coming up the stairs calling for me in panic to check if I was okay. Blood was dripping from his head and his body was covered in shards of glass.

We have lived in this building for 27 years. I have witnessed all the wars and conflicts but I’ve never seen Beirut so severely damaged. The scene outside our home looked like a battlefield, beyond what you can comprehend. People were running around in panic, bodies on the ground, blood everywhere, buildings falling apart, cars under the rubble and broken glass covering the streets.

The glass of all the windows were shatterd in Hayat's home in Karantina, one of the most affected areas by the Beirut explosion.

Hayat, 70, is one of thousands of people who were affected by the blast that damaged parts of their homes. She and her two sons with their families live in Karantina, XX km away from the explosion site. They live on different floors in the same three store-building. At the time of the explosion, she was sitting outside on terrace of the building’s rooftop.

“I was sitting on our terrace when the first explosion happened. I thought that airplanes were bombing,” says Hayat. “I immediately ran inside to get some of my key documents and my purse when the second explosion happened. It was so loud and it blew me off the ground.”

“I didn’t know what to do and my first thought was that my sons could not have survived this. Then, I saw my son, Giofar, coming up the stairs calling for me in panic to check if I was okay. The blood was dripping from his head and his body was full of glass shatter,” says Hayat.

“We have lived in this building for 27 years. I have witnessed all the wars and conflicts in Beirut but never have I seen Beirut so severely damaged as this,” says Hayat. “The scene outside our home looked like a battle field, beyond what you can comprehend. People were running around in panic, bodies on the ground, blood everywhere, buildings falling apart, cars under the rubble and glass shatter all over,” she says.

“There is a hospital opposite to where we live but it was totally destroyed and we were not able to move to take my son to the hospital. We lost him in the turmoil but a police officer had seen him injured and took him on his Vespa to a hospital about 15 km from where we live,” Hayat explains. “He came back fully stitched but we are lucky he survived,” she says.

“My other son’s wife was giving birth a few hours before the explosion, she delivered a baby boy. The hospital had to release her after just a few hours just to make space to other people who were heavily injured in the blast,” says Hayat.

“My grandchildren are all traumatized. They are afraid and can’t sleep during the night. Whenever they hear any loud sound they start screaming and fear another explosion will go off. We are constantly worried that something else will happen,” she says.

“We have a lot of needs now, the windows, curtains, and furniture are all damaged. The glass shatters destroyed everything and the walls have fallen down. My kitchen is not functioning and the water pipes are all broken. We need our homes to be repaired urgently but we can’t afford the repairs,” Hayat says. “We don’t know when we will get assistance but we need everyone’s help to rebuild the streets of Beirut,” she says.

“When I look at the destruction around us, I can only say we were saved by a miracle,” says Hayat. “In the end all the material damage can be replaced, we can eventually buy new ones but a life can’t be replaced,” she says.

“Imagine, one of the neighbours in the building next to ours is Syrian. He has been living alone for a while and his family in Syria. A few weeks ago, the situation where his wife and two daughters live in Syria worsened so he brought them here to be in safety and escape the war. But they didn’t escape death, the roof fell over them in the explosion and his wife and two daughters died. If you see him now, it’s like he has gone mad,” she says.

“My husband died when my children were very young and I raised them as a single mother. I put all my heart and effort to raise them and keep them safe. My biggest fear is to lose them now when they are adults. They are my whole life and if something happens to them I wouldn’t be able to handle it. The situation in country has become unbearable. Our hearts are broken, the people are tired and Lebanon has suffered enough,” Hayat concludes.

Photo: Racha El Daoi/NRC — Hayat showing parts of the damage to her apartment. The windows were destroyed and shards of glass shredded some of the furniture in her home. Photo: Racha El Daoi/NRC

There is a hospital opposite to our home but it was totally destroyed, and we were not able to move to take my son to the hospital. We lost him in the chaos on the street, but a police officer had seen him injured and took him to another hospital about 15 km from where we live. He came back fully stitched. We are lucky he survived.

My other son’s wife gave birth a few hours before the explosion. She delivered a baby boy. The hospital had to release her only a few hours later to free up space for those who were heavily injured in the blast.

“They didn’t escape death”

My grandchildren are all traumatised. They are afraid and can’t sleep during the night. Whenever they hear a loud sound, they start screaming and fear another explosion will go off. We are constantly worried that something else will happen.

When I look at the destruction around us, I can only say we were saved by a miracle. In the end all the material damage can be replaced. We can eventually buy new furniture or clothes but if someone is injured or dies…we can’t replace a life.

Imagine, one of the neighbours in the building next to ours is Syrian. He has been living alone for some time while the rest of his family stayed in Syria. A few weeks ago, the situation in their hometown in Syria worsened so he brought them here to be in safety and escape the war. But they didn’t escape death. The walls crushed them when the blast hit, and his wife and two daughters died. If you see him now, it’s like he has gone mad.

“We have lived in this building for 27 years. I have witnessed all the wars and conflicts in Beirut but never have I seen Beirut so severely damaged as this,” says Hayat. “The scene outside our home looked like a battle field, beyond what you can comprehend. People were running around in panic, bodies on the ground, blood everywhere, buildings falling apart, cars under the rubble and glass shatter all over,” she says.

“We have a lot of needs now, the windows, curtains, and furniture are all damaged. The glass shatters destroyed everything and the walls have fallen down. My kitchen is not functioning and the water pipes are all broken. We need our homes to be repaired urgently but we can’t afford the repairs,” Hayat says. “We don’t know when we will get assistance but we need everyone’s help to rebuild the streets of Beirut,” she says.

“When I look at the destruction around us, I can only say we were saved by a miracle,” says Hayat. “In the end all the material damage can be replaced, we can eventually buy new ones but a life can’t be replaced,” she says.

“Imagine, one of the neighbours in the building next to ours is Syrian. He has been living alone for a while and his family in Syria. A few weeks ago, the situation where his wife and two daughters live in Syria worsened so he brought them here to be in safety and escape the war. But they didn’t escape death, the roof fell over them in the explosion and his wife and two daughters died. If you see him now, it’s like he has gone mad,” she says.

“My husband died when my children were very young and I raised them as a single mother. I put all my heart and effort to raise them and keep them safe. My biggest fear is to lose them now when they are adults. They are my whole life and if something happens to them I wouldn’t be able to handle it. The situation in country has become unbearable. Our hearts are broken, the people are tired and Lebanon has suffered enough,” Hayat concludes.

Photo: Racha El Daoi/NRC — This is one of the houses next to Hayat’s building which was totally destroyed in the explosion in Beirut. Photo: Racha El Daoi/NRC

“We need everyone’s help to rebuild the streets of Beirut”

We have a lot of needs now. Our windows, curtains and furniture are all damaged. The shattered glass destroyed everything and the walls have crumbled. My kitchen is not functioning and the water pipes are all broken. We need our homes to be repaired urgently but we can’t afford the repairs. We don’t know when we will get assistance, but we need everyone’s help to rebuild the streets of Beirut.

Also, some people might laugh at me, but my sons and I lost our TVs and I can’t afford to get a new one. But it is important to have a TV because it is the only way I can follow the news to keep myself updated about what is happening in the country.

My husband died when my children were very young, and I raised them as a single mother. I put all my heart and effort into raising them and keeping them safe. My biggest fear is that I might lose them now when they are adults. They are all I have and if something happens to them I wouldn’t know what to do. The situation in our country has become unbearable. Our hearts are broken, the people are tired. Lebanon has suffered enough.

Support our emergency response in Beirut

NRC's team assessing the damage in one of the homes in Karantina, one of the most affected areas in the Beirut explosion.

Photo: Racha El Daoi/NRC — Raed Sawalha assesses the damage in the apartment of Hayat’s second son to determine how NRC will respond as part of our emergency response activities. Photo: Racha El Daoi/NRC

Our response to the Beirut explosion is made possible thanks to the generous support of people like you who have donated to our fundraiser. We would also like to thank the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the German Federal Foreign Office, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations for their support.