Rassil Massoud Mia

Rasil was born in 1991 in a family of six, in Bangladesh. He was the youngest of three sons and three daughters. He earned his high school diploma in his home country. His brother Sadek, who worked in Lebanon, was his role model. Sadek convinced him to come to Lebanon, and he did. He arrived in early 2015, and worked at a gas station in Beirut for two years. Sadek who worked at Wardieh gas station, in the Port of Beirut neighborhood, for the past fifteen years, asked his employer if he would offer his brother a job at the same gas station so he could be closer to him, and his request was approved.

Rasil worked in the afternoon, and filled cars with fuel. He was good, decent and trustworthy. He was ecstatic to be working with his brother, and his cousin, Rizol, as well as other Bangladeshi men. Rasil had a great sense of humor, yet, he was committed and serious on the job.

On August 4, the station's workers noticed the black smoke above the Port of Beirut, but it never occurred to them that there would be an explosion that would take the life of two of their own. While Rasil was filling some car with fuel, the flames were getting even higher. He got worried but his cousin Rizol tried to comfort him. A few moments later, warehouse number 12 exploded, and the force of the blast pushed Rasil towards the office. The explosion destroyed window panels, and sharp shards of glass stuck in Rasil's little body. Sadek immediately evacuated his brother to the American University of Beirut Medical Center, on the hood of a passenger's car. As soon as they arrived, he was admitted to the operating room and underwent a surgical intervention.

Despite the enormity of the blast, Sadek had huge hope his brother would make it out alive. He was shocked, the next day, when he was informed that Rasil passed away, and was transferred to the hospital's morgue. According to the medical report, he died of extreme bleeding.

Rasil's body remained at the morgue for a little more than a month, waiting for the deportation paperwork to be completed. It was flown to Bangladesh on its last journey home.