BEIRUT BLAST The mothers fighting for justice

When a catastrophic ammonium nitrate explosion ripped through Beirut in August 2020, it killed more than 200 people, including 10 children. Sarah Copland’s son Isaac was one of them. Here, she writes about the mothers who are united in their anguish and quest for answers

On a warm summer evening on August 4, 2020, Australian toddler Isaac Oehlers was sitting at home in Beirut eating dinner and singing one of his favourite songs, “Baby Shark”. One street over in Gemmayzeh, known for its hip bars and cafes, three-year-old Alexandra Naggear had just said goodbye to a playmate. A few blocks away, 15-year-old Elias Khoury, an aspiring rapper and architect, was in his bedroom overlooking the port when he noticed a fire. At 6.08pm, just as his mother went to warn him to move away from the windows, a catastrophic explosion tore through the city, crumbling buildings, twisting metal and shattering glass across the city.

One of the largest non-nuclear explosions in history, the blast was the result of 2750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate stored improperly at the port for years. It killed more than 200 people, injured more than 7000 and instantaneously left 300,000 homeless. At least 10 children are believed to have died. Isaac, Alexandra and Elias were among them.