Lebanese-Canadian family of 3-year-old killed in Beirut blast still searching for accountability, answers
If you think about the last two years, the news cycle has been nuts. COVID-19 has dominated headlines, world wars have hung in the balance and getting food on the table in an unstable economy has been top of mind for everyday Canadians. In the midst of the craziness, so many big stories have flown past us, without even a second look.
One visual that has been imprinted In my mind is a monstrous blast from Aug. 4, 2020. I remember seeing the first videos emerge on Twitter from our national newsroom in Ottawa.
At the time, I was a national reporter, covering federal politics. I remember watching the huge plume of smoke and the colossal force of the blast devastate the capital city of Lebanon.
I thought to myself, this had to be a nuclear bomb. I was wrong. Almost three tonnes of ammonium nitrate was somehow left in a warehouse near peoples’ homes, a ticking time bomb right in the heart of the city. In the days that followed, the human toll emerged.
More than 218 people died, 7,000 were injured and 300,000 were left homeless. For my national story, I came across Michele Awad, the grieving grandfather of a three-year-old Lebanese-Canadian girl who lost her life in that blast.
Michele Awad with his granddaughter Alexandra Naggear (Supplied photos)
Alexandra Naggear was her grandfather’s best friend. Michele teared up during our Zoom interview. Even across borders and through a shoddy connection, the grief and agony were palpable. He explained how his daughter, Tracy, tried to completely cover Alexandra, to shield her from the impact. But it wasn’t enough. The interview was so moving, I knew I couldn’t do it justice in a two-minute story.
Michele and I have been messaging for more than two years now. Early on, he introduced me to his daughter Tracy and her husband Paul, the parents of Alexandra. The couple describes the last few years as excruciating, barely able to get up some days. But they have rallied on, becoming some of the most vocal advocates for justice in the country, raising their voices at every march, protest and anniversary.
Tracy, like so many who survived the blast, is still processing the pain. We chat on her couch with her psychologist Ray Aoun, a Lebanese-Canadian like Tracy, who has become a dear friend to Tracy after this disaster. Aoun explains how the whole country is learning new ways of grieving in a more healthy way because of the Naggear family.
“They did not silence their grief. And they shared part about what they were going through,” says Aoun.
Aoun says talking publicly about ones’ grief is rare in Lebanon. She explains that after the civil war, political assassinations, political insecurities and the economic crisis, Lebanese people have learned to stuff their emotions down and not talk about anything.
“It’s part of the defence mechanism that Lebanese people have developed throughout the years,” explains Aoun.
Tracy is also preparing herself to one day tell her baby boy what happened to his older sister.
“I always thought about what I would tell him,” Tracy says. “His sister is in the sky, she’s next to Jesus, she travelled and then Ray told me you don’t have to lie… because if you tell him she travelled, he’ll be scared to travel. If you travel, he’ll be afraid you’re not coming back.”
(Photo credit: Tracy Awad Naggear)
But psychological help is just one part of their healing journey. The family needs answers. Tracy and Paul are also leading the push for accountability in Lebanon and abroad, publicly calling out politicians who knew about the ammonium nitrate, unsafely stored in a warehouse within blocks of residential homes.
But even with a public outcry, critics say justice has been ignored in Lebanon.
That’s because two national investigations have gone nowhere. A military judge, Fadi Sawan, was first appointed to investigate the blast. He charged several high profile politicians with criminal negligence, but many filed legal challenges against him, claiming he was biased because his house was damaged in the explosion. He was dismissed.
Another national judge, Tarek Bitar, stepped in. He came out with even more serious charges, including homicide with probable intent, but many of the same politicians lodged legal complaints questioning his authority and credibility.
Another roadblock Bitar faced: the government had refused to appoint new judges to adjudicate the complaints against him, so his investigation was stalled. After 13 months, in early 2023, Judge Bitar unexpectedly reopened the file citing new legal grounds to do so, but Lebanon’s top prosecutor immediately discredited his investigation saying it was “non-existent.”
In a shocking twist, that same prosecutor, who himself has been charged in Bitar’s latest findings, has accused the judge of mishandling the case.
Years on, there are few answers for grieving families. Tracy and Paul would like the UN to commission an international fact finding mission into the Beirut blast.
“The truth will certainly not bring back my daughter…but the truth will give us an opportunity to mourn, the truth will give us the opportunity to close the page on the 4th of August,” says Tracy.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
They were from different countries and barely spoke each other's languages. More than 20 years later, they're still happily in love
He decided to spend Christmas somewhere that wouldn't involve snowstorm disasters. She was spending the holidays with family, travelling for the first time outside of her native country of Venezuela. 23 years later, they're still in love.
Man who set himself on fire outside Trump trial dies of injuries, police say
A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former U.S. President Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said.
Verdun Airbnb listing taken down amid complaints, fines and frustration from neighbours
An Airbnb in Montreal's Verdun borough was the source of much frustration from neighbours who say there were constant parties at the location. It has been taken down from the app, but housing advocates remain upset about short-term rentals.
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
12 students and teacher killed in Columbine school shooting remembered at 25th anniversary vigil
Thirteen victims of the Columbine High School shooting were remembered during a vigil Friday on the eve of the 25th anniversary of the shooting that was the worst the nation had seen at the time.
Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza city of Rafah kills at least 9 Palestinians, including 6 children
An Israeli airstrike on a house in Gaza's southernmost city killed at least nine people, six of them children, hospital authorities said Saturday, as Israel pursued its nearly seven-month offensive in the besieged Palestinian territory.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
Iraq investigates a blast at a base of Iran-allied militias that killed 1. U.S. denies involvement
Iraqi authorities said Saturday that they were investigating an explosion that struck a base belonging to the Popular Mobilization Forces, a coalition of Iran-allied militias, killing one person and injuring eight.
The House is on the brink of approving aid for Ukraine and Israel after months of struggle
The House is preparing in a rare Saturday session to approve US$95 billion in foreign aid for Ukraine, Israel and other U.S. allies.
Local Spotlight
UBC football star turning heads in lead up to NFL draft
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.
Cat found at Pearson airport 3 days after going missing
Kevin the cat has been reunited with his family after enduring a harrowing three-day ordeal while lost at Toronto Pearson International Airport earlier this week.
Molly on a mission: N.S. student collecting books about women in sport for school library
Molly Knight, a grade four student in Nova Scotia, noticed her school library did not have many books on female athletes, so she started her own book drive in hopes of changing that.
Where did the gold go? Crime expert weighs in on unfolding Pearson airport heist investigation
Almost 7,000 bars of pure gold were stolen from Pearson International Airport exactly one year ago during an elaborate heist, but so far only a tiny fraction of that stolen loot has been found.
Marmot in the city: New resident of North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale a 'rock star rodent'
When Les Robertson was walking home from the gym in North Vancouver's Lower Lonsdale neighbourhood three weeks ago, he did a double take. Standing near a burrow it had dug in a vacant lot near East 1st Street and St. Georges Avenue was a yellow-bellied marmot.
Relocated seal returns to Greater Victoria after 'astonishing' 204-kilometre trek
A moulting seal who was relocated after drawing daily crowds of onlookers in Greater Victoria has made a surprise return, after what officials described as an 'astonishing' six-day journey.
Ottawa barber shop steps away from Parliament Hill marks 100 years in business
Just steps from Parliament Hill is a barber shop that for the last 100 years has catered to everyone from prime ministers to tourists.
'It was a special game': Edmonton pinball player celebrates high score and shout out from game designer
A high score on a Foo Fighters pinball machine has Edmonton player Dave Formenti on a high.
'How much time do we have?': 'Contamination' in Prairie groundwater identified
A compound used to treat sour gas that's been linked to fertility issues in cattle has been found throughout groundwater in the Prairies, according to a new study.