Under the bloody rubble, rescue teams continue to search for those missing in the explosion in the southern suburbs after the Israeli aggression. Amidst the rubble and destruction that tragically changed the features of this building, families await any news that will extinguish the flames of fire burning in their hearts. Nothing is higher than the bleeding pain and the unknown waiting. Everyone is waiting to find what remains of their loved ones, even if they are remains, so that they can cry over them and say their last greetings before their final resting place.
Long hours have passed without hearing any news to alleviate the impact of the tragedy. Rescue teams continue their search to find two missing persons, and the families are still clinging to a heart heavy with pain and tears, hoping to find their bodies after the chances of their survival have become almost impossible.
Under the rubble and beyond death
Under the rubble, the dreams, memories and last words of the residents of this building were buried before the Israeli aggression betrayed them and turned everything into a mirage and ashes. In the hospital, remains have not yet been identified, awaiting the results of DNA tests, especially since entire families were martyred, and therefore it is necessary to take samples from relatives to determine their identities.
At dawn, rescue teams found a new family, including the martyr Hasna Mahdi and her children Ahmed Haloum and the twin children Naya and Mohammed Haloum.
Forensic evidence began its investigations to determine the identity of the remains, these remains that expose the crime that invaded their homes and dreams in seconds. Only the results of DNA tests can silence some of this screaming groan, so that consolation is at the minimum for this painful loss.
In contrast, Hariri University Hospital has not yet been notified of any decision regarding conducting DNA tests on the remains and unidentified bodies in order to determine their identity. However, it is expected that it will be the entity that will handle this file, as happened previously in the August 4 explosion, and that it will be notified of the decision today.
Al-Nahar learned that all the bodies in Hariri Hospital are known, and there are no unidentified bodies. When the file is handed over, tests are conducted for all the families of the missing, and the results are issued a day after the tests are conducted, which means that the mystery of the remains will be revealed soon, and the pain will be alleviated, even if only a little, for their families.
The targeted location in the suburb (AFP).
Goal: Zero Missing
But what about the rest of the missing? The head of the service and operations unit in the Lebanese Civil Defense, Walid Al-Hashash, explained in his interview with “An-Nahar” that the remains that were found were distributed to various hospitals for DNA testing to reveal their identities.
He added, “As a result of the search efforts, there are two missing persons, and remains and bodies of unclear features. Therefore, work is underway today to take samples from the families of the missing persons and victims so that we can determine the identities of these bodies or remains, and as a result of the tests and their compatibility, we can determine the number of missing persons or stop the search if it becomes clear that there are no missing persons.”
Al-Hashash stresses that if a missing person is found and DNA tests do not reveal a match with any of the existing remains, “we will remain committed to searching until we find him. Therefore, we will continue searching to reach point zero of missing persons.”
Toxic and deadly smoke
It is no secret that the site is large and contains many alleys, in addition to the damage to the two neighboring buildings and the collapse that occurred in their basement. This means that the work may take a lot of time and effort, as the type of collapse caused difficulties due to the smoke and fires that occurred simultaneously with its fall and collapse. Note that the smoke was toxic and deadly.
Regarding the hypothesis that it is impossible to find remains due to the bodies dissolving, as some have reported, Al-Hashash confirms that this information is not true, and that there is no hypothesis that nothing of the person remains. Nothing can dissolve completely and its trace disappear, but rather there remain bones and a skull that indicate the missing person.
Waiting is hard, and nothing makes it easier than knowing the fate of the missing, because finding the remains is better than finding nothing.
