Benghazi — A fortnight after a massive explosion rocked a Benghazi hospital, victims and witnesses are still reeling from the shock.
Four-year old Raghad Saleh Milad was riding in a car near Al-Jalaa hospital when "all of a sudden, the car shook and its glass shattered", her mother Khairia Faraj said.
"There was only one car between us and the car that exploded on the road," she added, describing the May 13th attack. "Shrapnel tore apart my gown and damaged the car from beneath."
Her daughter and son were both injured. A total of 3 surgeries were performed on little Raghad.
The massive car bomb explosion outside Al-Jalaa hospital left dozens of civilians dead or wounded.
The final toll remains unclear. The hospital announced that three people died in the blast, but witnesses reported up to 17 dead.
Questions also remain about the cause of the blast. Libyan Interior Minister Ashour Shuwail said the explosion might have been "accidental".
But male nurse Fayez al-Faraoui is convinced it was no accident.
"The proof is that shrapnel was found 150 metres away," he said. "The strength of the blast was huge, and was not an ammunition explosion. I've been on fronts and I know these things."
"If the situation is not controlled, this may lead to another operation elsewhere with greater casualties", concluded al-Faraoui.
Al-Jalaa hospital stopped admitting patients the day after the blast due to the prevailing insecurity.
In response to lack of adequate care, angry local residents on May 16th assaulted local hospital security personnel. Some of the assailants chased them with light weapons and broke the glass of their cars.
Each of the 15-member hospital police unit "only has a pistol and 5 bullets, but no uniforms, vehicles or equipment," lamented policeman Osama al-Zayadi.
"We've stopped working because of the lack of security," Dr. Ashraf al-Saiti said.
"We will wait until they assign a security body to protect this hospital", the medical services chief added.
A Filipino female nurse added: "No security, no work."
Even medical supplies don't make it to their intended destination, airport worker al-Amin al-Mashiakhi pointed out.
"There is no control over medicines and foods at the airport," he said. "The airport is not at all secure, and there are no control or security agencies."
"Military airport base personnel are always on strike because they don't receive their salaries", he explained.
For policeman Al-Jalaa policeman al-Zayadi, the security problem lies in the easy availability of arms, wine, and drugs, sold in the open at the Jenehein market.
"Even Chadians sell arms," he said. "Why aren't weapons collected?"
As for Khariria Faraj, she says her injured daughter and other victims need more than medical care.
"We don't want money or oil; we just want peace and security," she said.
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