In a grimy workshop in Damascus, Muhammad Al Qalaaji, 48, is grief-stricken as he stands in the dark, tearful at the sight of his late brother’s images on his mobile phone.
The now poignant photos are all that remain of Firas Al Qalaaji and his family of eight who were swept to their deaths in Derna, Libya, in a disaster that has seen parts of the city completely washed away.
For many in Syria who had witnessed over 10 years of war and a devastating earthquake in February that killed thousands, the events in Derna have touched them deeply.
"My brother Firas was my soulmate, he was the best of us, we spoke to him just before [the dam burst] they felt something was in the air, like it could be their time,” Muhammad told The National.
“He has gone to God, swept away by the water. My younger brother Shadi survived, by luck, by a miracle.”
Little was known about the fate of Firas and his family in the hours after the flood, as Muhammad and his seven siblings scoured the internet for news.
In the Kafr Souseh district in the Syrian capital, events in Libya felt close to home.
“We didn’t hear a peep, not even a rumour, and we were glued to the television, seeing the tremendous devastation wrought by the floods, we feared the worst,” Muhammad says.
The fatal flood wave
Their fears became a reality when Shadi, who lived in the same apartment block as Firas, called home. His voice was feeble and he was struggling from a hospital bed as he gave them the news that Firas and his family had succumbed in the floods caused by the dam collapse on September 10.
Muhammad takes a deep breath in the workshop as staff hammer away at water motors on the greasy floor.
“Shadi survived by chance, he was on the fourth floor, getting some documents when the fatal wave came. Firas’ house was on the ground floor, they never even had a chance.”
“When the building collapsed, a wall [fell] on Shadi and he was dragged in a powerful vortex, the walls just exploded on impact [with the water], he was shielded somehow and managed to survive.”
Muhammad and his relatives held a wake after the burial in the family’s ancestral home of Al Midan where hundreds of mourners came to send their condolences, too far away to lend direct assistance.
“All we knew was that there was heavy rain, and then an explosion. Firas spoke to us before, he had a feeling and gathered all his children, video calling my mother who is 83, to tell her, this right here is my family,” he says, describing the days before the disaster.
“It was no coincidence, we heard the city [Derna] just vanished.”
Muhammad still has a treasure trove of images of Firas just days before the disaster.
“Firas was popular and a clever mechanic. He had gone to Libya before the crisis, and made an excellent income, sending money home to his family. He wanted to come back to Damascus to see us. He’d been away for thirteen years. What am I to do now? He’s gone, with his whole family. It's a black day, a dark day. I don’t think a person can ever recover from such a loss.”
At the wake, the governor of Damascus attended, along with several notables, said Majd Al Laham, who also works with Muhammad.
“Literally everyone I know came to pay their condolences, the governor, religious clergy, sheikhs, friends, and even people who didn’t know the family directly. It’s something which has moved the whole country.”
Muhammad’s shattered heart was consoled by his boss, Ihsan Al Bahra, who stood by him through the worst times.
“I've worked here for thirty years, as a chief mechanic, Mr Al Bahra was with me from the second the disaster struck."
The search for more missing Syrians goes on as the world tries to deal with the sheer magnitude of the disaster which has ripped Derna apart.
In numbers
- Number of children under five will fall from 681 million in 2017 to 401m in 2100
- Over-80s will rise from 141m in 2017 to 866m in 2100
- Nigeria will become the world’s second most populous country with 791m by 2100, behind India
- China will fall dramatically from a peak of 2.4 billion in 2024 to 732 million by 2100
- an average of 2.1 children per woman is required to sustain population growth
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MATCH INFO
Chelsea 4 (Mount 18',Werner 44', Hudson-Odoi 49', Havertz 85')
Morecambe 0
MATCH INFO
Uefa Nations League
League A, Group 4
Spain v England, 10.45pm (UAE)
Results
5pm: Wadi Nagab – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Turf) 1,200m; Winner: Al Falaq, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Ahmed Al Shemaili (trainer)
5.30pm: Wadi Sidr – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 1,200m; Winner: AF Majalis, Tadhg O’Shea, Ernst Oertel
6pm: Wathba Stallions Cup – Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: AF Fakhama, Fernando Jara, Mohamed Daggash
6.30pm: Wadi Shees – Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 (T) 2,200m; Winner: Mutaqadim, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7pm: Arabian Triple Crown Round-1 – Listed (PA) Dh230,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Bahar Muscat, Antonio Fresu, Ibrahim Al Hadhrami
7.30pm: Wadi Tayyibah – Maiden (TB) Dh80,000 (T) 1,600m; Winner: Poster Paint, Patrick Cosgrave, Bhupat Seemar
THE DETAILS
Director: Milan Jhaveri
Producer: Emmay Entertainment and T-Series
Cast: John Abraham, Manoj Bajpayee
Rating: 2/5
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Another way to earn air miles
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An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
