This article is from the source 'nytimes' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/24/world/europe/names-of-the-brussels-victims-emerge-online-one-by-one.html

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Names of the Brussels Victims Emerge Online, One by One Names of the Brussels Victims Emerge Online, One by One
(about 9 hours later)
At least 31 people died and 270 were injured in the bombings on Tuesday in Brussels. One by one, some names of the injured, dead and missing have emerged. In the hours after the deadly suicide bombings in Brussels on Tuesday, relatives and friends of Léopold Hecht, a Belgian college student, were hoping that he would emerge safely from the chaos. Without his cellphone, maybe, and perhaps in a hospital bed, but safe.
Faced with spotty cellular reception, language barriers, time zone differences and travel restrictions, relatives and friends have taken to posting pictures and pleas for information and prayers on Facebook and other sites. Without reliable cellular reception and with the city locked down, loved ones turned to social media. On Twitter and Facebook, they distributed photographs of Mr. Hecht, a sandy-haired law student at Saint-Louis University in Brussels who enjoyed skiing and acting.
“Pray for my best friend and her brother that were at the Brussels airport during the attacks,” Alexa Eskinazi wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. “We still have not heard any news.” “For those who haven’t seen it, we’re still in search of Léopold Hecht,” a relative, Hadrien Hecht, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday afternoon. “If you have any info, contact me.”
The authorities have asked for patience in figuring out the identities of the victims, a process slowed in part, they say, because of the condition of some of the bodies. And since the attacks were launched in the de facto capital of the European Union and the home of NATO’s headquarters, more than the usual language and cultural barriers are expected. Victims from as many as 40 nationalities were caught up in the attacks, according to Didier Reynders, Belgium’s foreign minister. After several hours, an update appeared: Mr. Hecht, 20, was in a hospital.
In the hours after the attacks, names began to trickle out on Twitter and Facebook as pockets of social media became virtual bulletin boards for people desperate for information on their loved ones. In one Facebook group, called Bruxelles-profil Recherche Famille, messages spilled in every few minutes on Wednesday. But on Wednesday morning, Pierre Jadoul, the president of Saint-Louis University, announced that he had died.
Among the dozens thought to be missing is Raghavendran Ganesan, who was thought to have been commuting at the time of the explosion, according to a Facebook post by his sister on Tuesday. Ila Yadav, who works at Infosys Technologies Ltd. an information technology company, posted to a missing persons Facebook group to say that Mr. Ganesan is her colleague. The death of Mr. Hecht, one of the 31 people killed in the bombings, illustrates how both hope and misinformation can flourish in the echo chamber of social media after a terrorist attack. For the families and friends of those who died and of some of the additional 300 who were hurt, the hours have been marked by constant communication but relatively little useful information.
David Dixon, a British national living in Brussels, normally took the subway to work and is also missing, according to the BBC. Mr. Dixon works as a contractor for Euroclear, a financial services company. “Pray for my best friend and her brother that were at the Brussels airport during the attacks,” Alexa Eskinazi, a friend of a brother and sister who have not been heard from since they arrived at the airport, wrote on Facebook on Tuesday. “We still have not heard any news.”
“We are in touch with his partner and continue to coordinate with the authorities in locating David,” Tristan Peniston-Bird, a Euroclear spokesperson, said in an email on Wednesday. “Our primary concern is the safety and protection of our people, and our thoughts go out to those affected by yesterday’s attacks.” The authorities have asked for time to identify the victims, a process slowed in part, they say, by the condition of some bodies. But because the attacks occurred in the de facto capital of the European Union and the home of NATO’s headquarters, more than the usual language and cultural barriers were present. People from as many as 40 nationalities were caught in the attacks, according to Didier Reynders, Belgium’s foreign minister.
On Facebook, family and friends, including Ms. Eskinazi, have posted several notices about Alex Pinczowski and Sascha Pinczowski, siblings who were believed to have arrived at the airport on Tuesday. Both listed New York as home on Facebook. Ms. Pinczowski’s Facebook page says that she is originally from Greece. Corners of social media became virtual bulletin boards. In one Facebook group, Bruxelles-profil Recherche Famille, messages arrived every few minutes on Wednesday.
Stephanie and Justin Shults, an American couple living in Brussels, were thought to be missing after dropping Ms. Shults’ mother off at the airport to catch a flight home, according to a CBS affiliate in Lexington, Ky., where Ms. Shults is from. Among the missing is Raghavendran Ganesan, an Indian citizen thought to have been commuting to his job at an information technology company at the time of the subway bombing that also took place Tuesday, according to a Facebook post by his sister. The sister, Chandrasekar Ganesan, said she had been trying to call him. “Sometimes it appears to ring, and sometimes it is busy,” she wrote.
Ms. Shults’ employer, Mars Incorporated, said on Wednesday that the couple was still missing. “While we’ve successfully accounted for almost all of our associates in Brussels, we have not been able to contact our colleague Stephanie Shults or her husband, Justin,” a company post on Facebook said. S. Inbasekar, a representative of the Indian Embassy in Brussels, said in an email that officials were still trying to find Mr. Ganesan by checking hospitals.
Mark Toner, a deputy spokesman for the State Department, said that about a dozen Americans were wounded in the attacks, but that the department was not aware of any Americans who had been killed. Friends and relatives of David Dixon, a Briton living in Brussels, spent the day posting photos of him on social media. Mr. Dixon, who normally took the subway to work, sent a text to an aunt to say he was safe after the airport was bombed, the BBC reported. He is a contractor for Euroclear, a financial services company.
“We must emphasize that a number of U.S. citizens remain unaccounted for and the Kingdom of Belgium has not yet released nationality information for reported fatalities,” he continued. “Our own internal U.S. government accountability is ongoing, and we are making every effort to account for the welfare of both Chief of Mission personnel and U.S. citizens in the city.” “We are in touch with his partner and continue to coordinate with the authorities in locating David,” Tristan Peniston-Bird, a Euroclear spokesman, wrote in an email on Wednesday.
Other Americans thought to be present at the time of the attacks included a member of the Air Force and four members of his family; one Navy service member, one French-American with dual nationality, and three missionaries. Those close to Mr. Dixon must also grapple with news inquiries from around the globe. Emily Sutcliffe, a niece of Mr. Dixon’s partner, Charlotte Sutcliffe, wrote an open message to journalists: “We would appreciate all help in finding David Dixon and reuniting him with my Aunty and his son. There is no comment from me or any of my family that can help in the search, that’s in the hands of Belgian authorities.”
On Facebook and Twitter, people have also been asking for information on the whereabouts of three other people, Sabrina Fazal, Janina Panasewicz and Patricia Rizzo. Little detail is known about them. The social media search continued on Wednesday for Alex and Sascha Pinczowski, siblings believed to have arrived at the airport on Tuesday on a flight from New York. On Facebook, family and friends, including Ms. Eskinazi, posted several notices.
In other cases, deaths were confirmed online. On Wednesday morning, the Université Saint-Louis in Brussels announced the death of a Belgian student, Leopold Hecht. Also at the airport were Stephanie and Justin Shults, an American couple working as accountants in Brussels, who had just dropped off Ms. Shults’s mother, Carolyn Moore, for a flight home to Kentucky. Soon after Ms. Moore entered the security line, the bombs detonated.
“There are no words to describe our dismay in the face of this news,” Pierre Jadoul, rector of the school, wrote on Facebook in French. “All our thoughts go out to his family and loved ones.” “She was not injured in the blast, but chaos ensued and she couldn’t find Justin or Stephanie,” said Levi Sutton, a half brother of Mr. Shults.
On Tuesday, Fernando Tapia Coral confirmed the death of his sister, Adelma Tapia Ruiz, a mother of twin girls from Peru, on Facebook. Ms. Ruiz was traveling home when the bombs went off at Brussels Airport. Her husband and one of her daughters were hospitalized after the attacks. Friends and relatives are still in shock. “We tried calling the embassy, the Red Cross, hospitals,” he added. “We’re unable to get any information. It’s frustrating.”
“At first I thought it was someone else,” a friend, Lady Sindey Jouany, told The Times, “and it took time to understand how this could have happened to her and how close to home it has hit.” Mark C. Toner, a deputy spokesman for the State Department, said in a statement that about a dozen Americans had been wounded, but that the department was not aware of any Americans who had been killed.
Ms. Ruiz, 36, sent her twin three year-old daughters to play in a corridor at the Brussels airport, chaperoned by her husband. Then the first blast hit, followed by an even louder explosion. It was around 8 am. Ms. Ruiz was killed. Her children were playing nearby. “We must emphasize that a number of U.S. citizens remain unaccounted for, and the Kingdom of Belgium has not yet released nationality information for reported fatalities,” he said.
In an outpouring of grief for all the victims, dozens of people Wednesday in Brussels continued to gather at a makeshift memorial on the Place de la Bourse, in the center of the capital. There, they lit candles, and placed flowers. Other deaths have been confirmed through Facebook. Olivier Delespesse was killed in the subway bombing, according to a post from his employer, the Federation of Wallonia-Brussels.
“He was always smiling, always happy,” Olivier Dradin, a co-worker, said in an interview. “He was very playful, and someone who was deeply interested in people — the opposite of the kind of person who remains cold and unapproachable behind a desk.”
On Tuesday, Fernando Tapia Coral confirmed the death of his sister, Adelma Tapia Ruiz, a Peruvian who had twin daughters.