The condolences did not end with Bryan and Razan Saleh, despite their burial last Saturday in Sidon. The city and the family of the two girls and their relatives kept their condolences open until the cause of the poisoning that killed them was known. The incident revealed the fragility of the laboratory situation in Lebanon. Because the results of the examination of the blood samples, taken by the coroner Afif Khafaja, came from the central laboratory and did not match the results of the tests conducted by the Department of Epidemiological Surveillance of the Ministry of Public Health.
The results of the first tests indicated food poisoning (corruption of food ingredients). And it showed “the presence of caffeine and flagyl substances deriving from the two children who took tea and medicines at home”. While the results of the second examination confirmed that “the presence of toxic bacteria (zinc and phosphorus) caused a rapid death”.
Khafaja is surprised by the inconsistency in the test results. In an interview with Al-Akhbar, he confirms that he has not received any results from the central laboratory, as required by the sealed envelope laws, but rather reports them from the southern appeals prosecutor, Judge Raheef Ramadan. He expressed his surprise at the different results issued by the Ministry of Health, which he also learned from Ramadan.
The latter had advised Khafaga, days after the death of the two girls, to take new samples from the two bodies to expand on the results of the conflicting tests, before giving the parents permission to bury them last Saturday. In the event of ascertained food poisoning, the investigation is limited to the criminal part and the material causes that led to the ingestion of the toxic substance are pursued. As for the presence of zinc and phosphorus in the results of the second tests, this means, according to Khafaja, that “the cause of the poisoning is external, from the presence of toxic substances such as pesticides and others… In this case, a detailed and quick blood test on what these toxic substances are and their source.
The forensics examined the home of the two victims, took samples of food and foodstuffs, cleaned the surfaces of the furniture and the floor of the house. Blood samples were taken from the parents and their statements were heard separately at the police station in Sidon. The father was asked if he had sprayed the house or the surroundings with pesticides for insects or mice, but he denied and confirmed that he was very afraid for the two girls, and even prevented them from consuming canned juice. As for her mother, she was asked if she had any visitors before the poisoning and if she had any suspicions of outside interference.
The health problems of the two children were not the first. Family friends reported that they were hospitalized a month before the death due to diarrhea and vomiting. One month into their recovery, the condition recurred two days before their deaths after eating a homemade omelette. The doctor advised the parents on the phone to give them Flagyl and drink warm tea. However, their condition deteriorated rapidly and they were transferred to the government hospital in Sidon. While the mother was hospitalized for a few days in intensive care, the father was also hospitalized for hours.
Whatever the cause of the poisoning, Rayan (3 years old) and Razan (6 years old) died leaving no children to their parents. The father works as a servant for a mosque in Sidon, and lives in a small house next to him, surrounded by orchards.
