Salma Hatouni

Salma, the youngest of three sisters and a brother, was a beautiful blonde little girl; she was a joy to be around, and no one could say no to her lovely little self. She grew up to be a strong independent woman. She was friendly, generous, and extremely honest. She loved life, travel, and adventure. Salma was also a very elegant lady with a passion for fashion trends.

She earned a degree in psychology, but worked in the accounting department of Collège Sacré Coeur - Frères Gemmayze, and lived in Achrafieh.

Salma was not supposed to be home on Tuesday afternoon; she was spending the summer with her sister Mary in a hotel in a mountainous area in Keserwan, a yearly summer tradition. On that fateful day they drove to Beirut to run some errands and check on their house in Achrafieh. Salma did not want to go back to the hotel to avoid being stuck in traffic for hours to get there. Despite Mary’s insisting pleas to go back, they stayed in their apartment. At 6:07 PM, Salma was walking out to her balcony to water her flowers, when the explosion pushed her towards the wall. She yelled for her sister who couldn’t easily move herself. Mary dragged herself through the rubble to reach Salma who called for the neighbors’ help.

She received first aid and had her injuries bandaged at home, and two days later, she went back to the hotel with her sister. On the twelfth day after the blast, she started complaining from unbearable pain. Her x-rays showed a hairline hip fracture that could not be fixed with surgery. It was supposed to heal itself with time, while she lies on her back. She was also prescribed antibiotics and painkillers, which significantly damaged her liver. Salma suffered for six months from painful medical complications related to her August 4 sustained injuries. She went into a coma for four days, before she passed away on February 9, 2021.