Man's tragic last phone call with fiancée who died in Beirut explosion
A man has paid tribute to his fiancée after she tragically died in an explosion in Lebanon.
Sahar Fares, 27, was one of the 154 people killed at the port in Beirut on Tuesday with a further 5,000 injured.
Ms Fares, a member of the Beirut Fire Brigade who responded to a fire at the port before the explosion, was due to be married in June next year.
Her fiance Gilbert Karaan wrote a heartbreaking Instagram post on Wednesday to his “beautiful bride”, saying instead of being married in June 2021, it will be “tomorrow, my love”.
“Everything you wanted will be there except seeing you in your white dress,” he wrote.
“You broke my back, my soul. You burnt my heart, my heart. The taste of life has gone now that you’re missing from me.”
Mr Gilbert watched as Ms Fares responded to the fire, according to the New York Times.
Ms Fares had called him to show her future husband the fire consuming parts of the port on Tuesday evening. She went to investigate but soon realised something was about to explode.
Mr Karaan pleaded with her to run for cover but she couldn’t get free of the blast.
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On Thursday, a wedding party was held to honour Ms Fares before she was buried.
Video captured by MTV Lebanon shows uniformed members of the fire brigade carrying her casket through a guard of honour.
Family and friends also helped carry the coffin through the crowd.
President Michel Aoun told local media it’s not known what caused the explosion.
Mr Aoun, who had previously said explosive material was stored unsafely for years at the port, said the investigation would also look at whether the blast was due to negligence or an accident.
Twenty people had been detained so far, he added, while one source said an initial probe blamed negligence.
While the United States has said it did not rule out an attack, Israel, which has fought several wars with Lebanon, has denied any role.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the cause was unclear, but compared the blast to a 2005 bombing that killed former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri.
Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, leader of Lebanon's powerful Shi'ite group Hezbollah, denied what he said were "preconceived" comments both domestically and abroad that the Iran-backed group had arms stored at the port.
He called for a fair investigation and strict accountability for anyone responsible without any political cover.
"Even if a plane struck, or if it was an intentional act, if it turns out this nitrate had been at the port for years in this way, it means part of the case is absolutely negligence and corruption," he said.
The customs director and a predecessor were arrested on Friday.
with Reuters
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