Zeina Zaarour

Zeina was born in Jal el Dib, but due to the Lebanese civil war, she moved with her family to Batroun in 1985. She first attended Collège Saint Joseph Aintoura, then transferred to Ecole Saint Joseph des Pères Capucins – Batroun. In 1992, she returned to Beirut with her family, and attended high school at Collège des Soeurs des Saints Coeurs in Jdeideh. She earned a degree in Business Administration from Notre Dame University.

Zeina worked at "Middle East Airlines" for ten years, but she was lately working on a personal cooking project, and she established her own business.

Zeina was sweet and fun. On the personal level, she was bright and opinionated. She dreamed of starting her own business, and she was already on the right track, working from her home. She hoped her business would make enough profit so she could live in comfort with her family. The August 4 blast killed her dreams indefinitely.

Zeina spent the summer months with her family in Batroun; they were supposed to be there on that tragic day, but fate drove them to Beirut on Monday, one day before the massive port explosion. On Tuesday August 4, She was home in Mar Mikhael with her husband and their 9-year old son. When the fire erupted at the Port of Beirut, her son was playing with the neighbors' daughter. Zeina heard the fireworks, and she stayed away from the window directly facing the port. Two consecutive explosions shook the whole building and rocked the city. The little boy was unharmed, he tried to wake up his unconscious father, while Zeina was severely wounded, and her hand was heavily bleeding. Her husband came back to his senses, moved her to a chair, and evacuated her to Jeitawi Hospital. Her hand was stitched in the dark, without anesthesia; in fact, the hospital was severely affected by the explosion, and was almost out of service. Zeina's body refused blood transfusions and administered medicine, and suffered from an internal hemorrhage. Doctors could not save her life.