The coffin of one of the two officers killed in the crash of an army helicopter in Hammana, during his funeral on Aug. 25, 2023 in Beirut. (Credit: Hussam Chbaro)
BEIRUT — The funerals of Lebanese Army Lieutenant Richard Saab and Captain Joseph Hanna, who died when the military helicopter they were traveling in crashed in Hammana on Wednesday evening, began on Friday morning at Beirut's central military hospital.
Soldier Mohammad Saidah was also injured in the crash, which occurred in a forest between Hammana and Chebanieh, in the Baabda district. The soldiers were carrying out training, the army announced in a brief statement. Local residents told L'Orient Today on Thursday that the helicopter was flying in thick fog.
Relatives of the two soldiers killed in a helicopter crash in Hammana attend their funeral at Beirut military hospital, Aug. 25, 2023. (Credit: Hussam Chbaro)
Lt. Saab's remains are due to be transferred to Choueifat around noon, and condolence ceremonies will be held on Saturday and Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Capt. Hanna's coffin, meanwhile, will be transported to his native village of Debl in South Lebanon, where a ceremony is scheduled to take place at 4 p.m. in the Saint George Church. Condolences will also be held on Saturday and Sunday at the deceased's home in the same locality.
The army has still not officially given any indication of the cause of the crash. "Investigations are ongoing. The causes of the crash have not been identified," a senior army source told L'Orient Today on Thursday.
Faced with Lebanon's unprecedented economic crisis, the military institution is struggling to meet the essential needs of its 80,000 men and maintain its equipment.