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 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Names of the Brussels Victims Emerge Online, One by One | Names of the Brussels Victims Emerge Online, One by One |
| (about 20 hours later) | |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| “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.” | “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.” |
| After several hours, an update appeared: Mr. Hecht, 20, was in a hospital. | After several hours, an update appeared: Mr. Hecht, 20, was in a hospital. |
| But on Wednesday morning, Pierre Jadoul, the president of Saint-Louis University, announced that he had died. | But on Wednesday morning, Pierre Jadoul, the president of Saint-Louis University, announced that he had died. |
| 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. | 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. |
| “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.” | “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.” |
| 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. | 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. |
| Corners of social media became virtual bulletin boards. In one Facebook group, Bruxelles-profil Recherche Famille, messages arrived every few minutes on Wednesday. | Corners of social media became virtual bulletin boards. In one Facebook group, Bruxelles-profil Recherche Famille, messages arrived every few minutes on Wednesday. |
| 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 brother. The brother, Chandrasekar Ganesan, said he had been trying to call him. “Sometimes it appears to ring, and sometimes it is busy,” he wrote. | |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 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. | “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. |
| 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.” | 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.” |
| 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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. |
| “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. | “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. |
| “We tried calling the embassy, the Red Cross, hospitals,” he added. “We’re unable to get any information. It’s frustrating.” | “We tried calling the embassy, the Red Cross, hospitals,” he added. “We’re unable to get any information. It’s frustrating.” |
| 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. | 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. |
| “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. | “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. |
| 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. | 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.” | “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. | On Tuesday, Fernando Tapia Coral confirmed the death of his sister, Adelma Tapia Ruiz, a Peruvian who had twin daughters. |