SAN FRANCISCO—Around 200 people attended a vigil Thursday night, July 6, along San Francisco’s waterfront to honor victims of Tuesday’s blast in Beirut.
145 people have been confirmed dead, dozens of people are still missing, and thousands of people are homeless since the evening of the 4th in Lebanon’s capital.
The country’s authorities are overwhelmed and many critical facilities and hospitals were damaged in the blast.
In an exclusive with NBC Bay Area, Joey Diab spoke about his best friend’s daughter, “They were playing, a door blew out and pinned her to a wall fighting for her life the last two days. Passed away in the last 10 minutes.”
Near Lebanon’s Parliament, protests have erupted. Citizens have gotten increasingly angry at the government for letting huge amounts of ammonium nitrate lay in uncontrolled conditions at the port warehouse for years.
San Francisco’s Lebanese community is also demanding answers from the government.
The Honorary Consul of Lebanon in San Francisco will be honoring the victims of the blast Friday night by lighting City Hall with the colors of the Lebanese flag.
Various organizations are collecting money for the victims of the blast and their families.
