MEDIA & COMMUNICATIONS
No closure for Beirut blast trauma survivors without justice
5 August, 2021 | NEWS
One year after the Beirut port explosion, trauma survivors have yet to heal.
Mental health organisations in Lebanon recorded a spike in calls related to the Beirut blast to their hotlines in the days leading up to the commemoration on Wednesday.
“People are reliving the trauma like it just happened,” said Dr Georges Karam, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology at Saint George Hospital in Beirut.
“They called us asking if it’s normal, if it’s OK that they’re experiencing the same fear again.”
On August 4, 2020, hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded at the Beirut port, killing at least 214 people and injuring thousands more.
Mental health organisations in Lebanon recorded a spike in calls related to the Beirut blast to their hotlines in the days leading up to the commemoration on Wednesday.
“People are reliving the trauma like it just happened,” said Dr Georges Karam, chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology at Saint George Hospital in Beirut.
“They called us asking if it’s normal, if it’s OK that they’re experiencing the same fear again.”
On August 4, 2020, hundreds of tonnes of ammonium nitrate exploded at the Beirut port, killing at least 214 people and injuring thousands more.
