Beirut blast shatters family’s decades-long relationship with city’s port

Ghassan Hasrouty's family feel let down by Lebanese leaders after his death at the port where he, like his father before him, had worked for nearly 40 years

Sunniva Rose
Sunniva Rose

September 10, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

Ghassan Hasrouty’s last call to his family was exactly 47 minutes before one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions in recent history tore through his office at Beirut's port. Anticipating a long night of work, the 59-year old head of the operations unit at the port's gigantic silos asked his son-in-law, Tony Akl, for a pillow and blanket at 5.30pm on August 4. But Mr Akl, 35, made a life-saving decision by taking a nap first.

At 18.07pm, an explosion rocked Beirut, followed moments later by a second that let off a mushroom-shaped cloud of copper smoke above the city. The blast, caused by the improper storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate at the port, traumatised the capital, destroyed tens of thousands of homes, killed nearly 200 people and injured more than 6,500.

Ghassan Hasrouty’s phone went silent. At 6.44pm, his daughter Tatiana, 19, sent out a tweet asking for help locating her father that went viral. Well-intentioned social media users answered, saying he was alive and in hospital. But he was not.

While his family waited for news, one of his three daughters, Ramona, 28, delivered her first baby on August 10. The next day, her father’s body was found in the silo operations room where he worked, close to six of his colleagues, also dead. His family was informed of his death on August 18.

For two weeks, they hoped he had found refuge in the underground emergency shelter where he slept, sometimes for weeks on end during the 1975-1990 civil war. He never made it.

One month after his death, Hasrouty's grieving children told The National that they feel betrayed by their country's leaders, most them former warlords turned politicians. "He cared for the people and this country. And when it was time to care for him, there was no one," said Tatiana.

Ghassan Hasrouty with his daughter Tatiana Hasrouty. The family learned of Ghassan's death at the port two weeks after the explosion on August 4. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty
Ghassan Hasrouty with his daughter Tatiana Hasrouty. The family learned of Ghassan's death at the port two weeks after the explosion on August 4. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty
Ghassan Hasrouty was killed in the Beirut port explosion on August 4. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty
Ghassan Hasrouty was killed in the Beirut port explosion on August 4. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty
Family of Beirut blast victim Ghassan Hasrouty pictured here in the doorway of their Beirut home: Elie Hasrouty, his son, centre, Tatiana Hasrouty, his daughter, right and his wife Ibtissam Hasrouty. Courtesy George Azar
Family of Beirut blast victim Ghassan Hasrouty pictured here in the doorway of their Beirut home: Elie Hasrouty, his son, centre, Tatiana Hasrouty, his daughter, right and his wife Ibtissam Hasrouty. Courtesy George Azar
The Hasrouty household. From left, Elie Hasrouty, 35, Ibtissam Hasrouty, 55, Ghassan Hasrouty, 59, Ramona Hasrouty, 28, Tony Akl, 35, Tatiana Hasrouty, 19, and Rana Hasrouty, 36. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty
The Hasrouty household. From left, Elie Hasrouty, 35, Ibtissam Hasrouty, 55, Ghassan Hasrouty, 59, Ramona Hasrouty, 28, Tony Akl, 35, Tatiana Hasrouty, 19, and Rana Hasrouty, 36. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty
The Hasrouty family. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty
The Hasrouty family. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty
Ghassan Hasrouty in his office at the port of Beirut, where he worked for 39 years. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty
Ghassan Hasrouty in his office at the port of Beirut, where he worked for 39 years. Courtesy Tatiana Hasrouty

“Even during the war, my father did whatever it took to fulfil his duty,” said her brother Elie, 35. In 1989, Hasrouty spent 15 consecutive days sleeping at the port during current president Michel Aoun’s “war of liberation” against Syrian troops.

“It was very dangerous for my father and his colleagues to leave the port because of attacks and bombardments. When there were breaks in fighting, they would unload ships so that they could provide wheat to the mills,” Elie remembered.

Hasrouty has a kind, round face, a balding head, and a white moustache in the photo that his family has pasted outside their two-bedroom ground floor apartment in the suburb of Sin-El Fil. Its caption reads: “Guardian of the wheat silos. Martyr of a wounded nation.” Like thousands of other homes, the small flat was damaged by the blast nearly 4 kilometres away. Doors were unhinged and glass shattered.

Hasrouty worked 39 years at the port, where an informal agreement gives preference to employees’ children. His father, Assaad, who is in his early eighties, spent four decades at the port.

When he was hired in 1981, Hasrouty had just dropped out of his studies in architecture and fled to Beirut with his pregnant wife, Ibtissam, from the mountainous Chouf region. At that time, various armed groups were massacring Christians in what came to be known as the “mountain war”. The 15-year civil war witnessed atrocities on all sides. The couple waited until 2015 to return and build a house in Ibtissam’s home village.

“He didn’t want us to be like him. He wanted us to be more,” said Tatiana, a third-year law student at La Sagesse University in Beirut. “He used to tell me all the time, 'I want to see you graduate'. It breaks my heart that he’s not going to be there, and they took him from me and from this opportunity,” she said.

Greek rescue workers search amid the rubble three days after explosions that hit Beirut port. EPA
Greek rescue workers search amid the rubble three days after explosions that hit Beirut port. EPA
Workers and members of Lebanese civil defense search for bodies and survivors amid the rubble. EPA
Workers and members of Lebanese civil defense search for bodies and survivors amid the rubble. EPA
Divers inspect at the port waterfront. EPA
Divers inspect at the port waterfront. EPA
A Lebanese soldier looks at a damaged car. EPA
A Lebanese soldier looks at a damaged car. EPA
Workers and members of Lebanese civil defence rest next to a damaged vessel. EPA
Workers and members of Lebanese civil defence rest next to a damaged vessel. EPA
An electricity worker fixes power cables in front of a damaged building. AP Photo
An electricity worker fixes power cables in front of a damaged building. AP Photo
A man sits between debris inside his house damaged by Tuesday's explosion in the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo
A man sits between debris inside his house damaged by Tuesday's explosion in the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon. AP Photo
A man who sustained injuries to his legs looks at the rubble. AP Photo
A man who sustained injuries to his legs looks at the rubble. AP Photo
Workers remove debris from a house. AP Photo
Workers remove debris from a house. AP Photo
Zeinab Zer Eldin, left, and her sister-in-law shows a photo of her missing husband near the site of the explosion in the port of Beirut. AP Photo
Zeinab Zer Eldin, left, and her sister-in-law shows a photo of her missing husband near the site of the explosion in the port of Beirut. AP Photo
Residents fix windows in a house damaged by Tuesday's explosion that hit the port of Beirut. AP Photo
Residents fix windows in a house damaged by Tuesday's explosion that hit the port of Beirut. AP Photo

Both Tatiana and Elie are vocal in their criticism of Lebanon’s leaders, who they believe are responsible for their father’s death.

The country’s security forces, as well as successive prime ministers and President Aoun, all admitted that they were aware of the danger of storing 2,750 tonnes of ammonium at the port since 2013. But they did not remove them. An investigation is ongoing.

“They wanted to kill us, in some way,” said Tatiana. “They invaded our security and our privacy and after all this, they still have the audacity to go on television and to say they don’t know, or to blame each other. They are moving on, but we can’t.”

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Elie, a telecom engineer, hit out at Lebanese authorities for their "totally irresponsible and totally sick" disaster management. The authorities took 40 hours to start digging through the rubble for his father's body, he said. Contacted by The National, an army spokesperson claimed that they started immediately.

“The management of the disaster was catastrophic,” said Elie, a PhD candidate in international relations and diplomacy at the Centre d’Etudes Diplomatiques et Strategiques in Paris. “We were doing all the work. I was contacted once, two weeks after the blast, to tell me that they found the body. This is the only official call that I received.”

Today, Elie is hoping that the local investigation into the blast, which Amnesty International described on September 7 as “neither independent nor impartial”, will yield concrete results.

The Lebanese judiciary is not fully independent from politics, which is why very few politicians or top officials have ever been jailed despite the small Mediterranean country consistently being ranked as one of the most corrupt in the world by international watchdogs.

“I don’t really want anything specific. We might see people in prison, or we might see people resigning,” said Elie. “It’s our battle now. Not our father’s battle. He died. We cannot make him alive again. Our action should now be directed towards having a nation in which we can live peacefully, securely and in dignity. I know it will be a lifetime of work.”

Company%20Profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDirect%20Debit%20System%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Sept%202017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20with%20a%20subsidiary%20in%20the%20UK%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20FinTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Undisclosed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Elaine%20Jones%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%208%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
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Fight Night

FIGHT NIGHT

Four title fights:

Amir Khan v Billy Dib - WBC International title
Hughie Fury v Samuel Peter - Heavyweight co-main event  
Dave Penalosa v Lerato Dlamini - WBC Silver title
Prince Patel v Michell Banquiz - IBO World title

Six undercard bouts:

Michael Hennessy Jr v Abdul Julaidan Fatah
Amandeep Singh v Shakhobidin Zoirov
Zuhayr Al Qahtani v Farhad Hazratzada
Lolito Sonsona v Isack Junior
Rodrigo Caraballo v Sajid Abid
Ali Kiydin v Hemi Ahio

Ferrari 12Cilindri specs

Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12

Power: 819hp

Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm

Price: From Dh1,700,000

Available: Now

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The biog

Occupation: Key marker and auto electrician

Hometown: Ghazala, Syria

Date of arrival in Abu Dhabi: May 15, 1978

Family: 11 siblings, a wife, three sons and one daughter

Favourite place in UAE: Abu Dhabi

Favourite hobby: I like to do a mix of things, like listening to poetry for example.

Favourite Syrian artist: Sabah Fakhri, a tenor from Aleppo

Favourite food: fresh fish

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Conflict, drought, famine

Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.

Band Aid

Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.

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Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en

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Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)

Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.

  • It’s So Easy
  • Mr Brownstone
  • Chinese Democracy
  • Welcome to the Jungle
  • Double Talkin’ Jive
  • Better
  • Estranged
  • Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
  • Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
  • Rocket Queen
  • You Could Be Mine
  • Shadow of Your Love
  • Attitude (Misfits cover)
  • Civil War
  • Coma
  • Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
  • Sweet Child O’ Mine
  • Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
  • Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
  • November Rain
  • Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
  • Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
  • Nightrain

Encore:

  • Patience
  • Don’t Cry
  • The Seeker (The Who cover)
  • Paradise City

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

Healthcare spending to double to $2.2 trillion rupees

Launched a 641billion-rupee federal health scheme

Allotted 200 billion rupees for the recapitalisation of state-run banks

Around 1.75 trillion rupees allotted for privatisation and stake sales in state-owned assets

UAE currency
Whiile you're here
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Company profile

Company name: Suraasa

Started: 2018

Founders: Rishabh Khanna, Ankit Khanna and Sahil Makker

Based: India, UAE and the UK

Industry: EdTech

Initial investment: More than $200,000 in seed funding

Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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The specs

Engine: 0.8-litre four cylinder

Power: 70bhp

Torque: 66Nm

Transmission: four-speed manual

Price: $1,075 new in 1967, now valued at $40,000

On sale: Models from 1966 to 1970

Our commentary on Brexit
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea
Habtoor interview
Roll%20of%20Honour%2C%20men%E2%80%99s%20domestic%20rugby%20season
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EWest%20Asia%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Bahrain%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Premiership%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Jebel%20Ali%20Dragons%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%201%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Abu%20Dhabi%20Harlequins%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20Division%202%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%20III%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Sharks%20II%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDubai%20Sevens%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EChampions%3A%20Dubai%20Tigers%0D%3Cbr%3ERunners%20up%3A%20Dubai%20Hurricanes%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Results:

6.30pm: Maiden | US$45,000 (Dirt) | 1,400 metres

Winner: Tabarak, Royston Ffrench (jockey), Rashed Bouresly (trainer)

7.05pm: Handicap | $175,000 (Turf) | 3,200m

Winner: Dubhe, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

7.40pm: UAE 2000 Guineas Group 3 | $250,000 (D) | 1,600m

Winner: Estihdaaf, Christophe Soumillon, Saeed bin Suroor

8.15pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,800m

Winner: Nordic Lights, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

8.50pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 Group 2 | $450,000 (D) | 1,900m

Winner: North America, Richard Mullen, Satish Seemar

9.25pm: Handicap | $175,000 (T) | 1,200m

Winner: Mazzini, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass

10pm: Handicap | $135,000 (T) | 1,400m.

Winner: Mubtasim, William Buick, Charlie Appleby

Results

1. Mathieu van der Poel (NED) Alpecin-Fenix - 3:45:47

2. David Dekker (NED) Jumbo-Visma - same time

3. Michael Morkov (DEN) Deceuninck-QuickStep   

4. Emils Liepins (LAT) Trek-Segafredo

5. Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis

6. Tadej Pogacar (SLO UAE Team Emirates

7. Anthony Roux (FRA) Groupama-FDJ

8. Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:00:03

9. Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep         

10. Fausto Masnada (ITA) Deceuninck-QuickStep

COMPANY%20PROFILE
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Klipit%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202022%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Venkat%20Reddy%2C%20Mohammed%20Al%20Bulooki%2C%20Bilal%20Merchant%2C%20Asif%20Ahmed%2C%20Ovais%20Merchant%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Digital%20receipts%2C%20finance%2C%20blockchain%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%244%20million%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Privately%2Fself-funded%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Mohamed bin Zayed Majlis
Scoreline

UAE 2-1 Saudi Arabia

UAE Mabkhout 21’, Khalil 59’

Saudi Al Abed (pen) 20’

Man of the match Ahmed Khalil (UAE)

Barcelona 3
Messi (27’, 32’, 87’)

Leganes 1
El Zhar (68’)

COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENomad%20Homes%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2020%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHelen%20Chen%2C%20Damien%20Drap%2C%20and%20Dan%20Piehler%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20UAE%20and%20Europe%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20PropTech%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunds%20raised%20so%20far%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20%2444m%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Acrew%20Capital%2C%2001%20Advisors%2C%20HighSage%20Ventures%2C%20Abstract%20Ventures%2C%20Partech%2C%20Precursor%20Ventures%2C%20Potluck%20Ventures%2C%20Knollwood%20and%20several%20undisclosed%20hedge%20funds%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

The years Ramadan fell in May

1987

1954

1921

1888

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting

2. Prayer

3. Hajj

4. Shahada

5. Zakat 

While you're here
If you go...

Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.

Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50

More from Neighbourhood Watch:
Remaining Fixtures

Wednesday: West Indies v Scotland
Thursday: UAE v Zimbabwe
Friday: Afghanistan v Ireland
Sunday: Final

Electoral College Victory

Trump has so far secured 295 Electoral College votes, according to the Associated Press, exceeding the 270 needed to win. Only Nevada and Arizona remain to be called, and both swing states are leaning Republican. Trump swept all five remaining swing states, North Carolina, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin, sealing his path to victory and giving him a strong mandate. 

 

Popular Vote Tally

The count is ongoing, but Trump currently leads with nearly 51 per cent of the popular vote to Harris’s 47.6 per cent. Trump has over 72.2 million votes, while Harris trails with approximately 67.4 million.

Lebanon