The Beirut port explosion started with a large fire at Hangar 12 where tonnes of explosive and inflammable ammonium nitrate were stored. A unit of firefighters was dispatched to the site to extinguish the fire.
Minutes barely passed with the firefighters on the site when the first explosion occurred, followed immediately by the second massive one that disintegrated the port.
Soon after, the governor of Beirut announced in a panic that all contact with the unit is lost and the 10 firefighters are missing. He broke down sobbing at the horrific scene of destruction.
The 10 firefighters unit were announced “lost” for almost a week during which their parents and family members were in excruciating anguish…
Ralph Melleh is one of these brave firefighters. His pictures filled social media since the explosion, as his family and friends urged anyone who found him to contact them.
Until now…
He has been found at the site of the blast yet no alive…
Now, his pictures circulating social media are all about grief, mourning, condolences, and memories.
Friends of Ralph are sharing pictures and memories of him, trying to show how colorful his life was, and how loved he was.
Ralph’s friend, Tony Rizk, shared pictures of Ralph carrying Byren Munchen’s flag, asking the team’s twitter to pay tribute to Lebanon’s brave firefighter.
Not long ago, rescue teams also found Ralph’s colleague Sahar Fares and social media blew up in mourning of the young girl.
People were extremely moved by her story; she was soon-to-be-married before the catastrophe took her life away.
Lebanon is still mourning, every day, and with every missing victim found. Ralph had an interesting point to share on social media a couple of months ago:
“A mother used to cry when her children emigrate. Now she cries because they stay in the homeland.”
~ Ralph Mellehe
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