Palestinians in the Bourj el-Barajneh camp are regularly killed by loose electric cables. Understanding why goes to the heart of the problems faced by hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon.
Draped with water pipes and high voltage wires, the major fuse box that splits power from the grid in the centre of Beirut’s Bourj el-Barajneh is known locally as the “wall of death.” Rusty and exposed, it stands at head height on a major thoroughfare in this overcrowded Palestinian refugee camp. Several people have died tinkering with it over the years, and yet nothing has ever been done to make it safer.
A photostory for IRIN, the humanitarian news agency,
A flock of pigeons swoop of the heart of Bourj al-Barajneh at dusk
Two children walk under the ‘wall of death’
The ‘Wall of Dead’
Water pipes mix with wiring maxing a deadly combination
Ahmed al-Qaed left behind Amal and their three children Mahmood, Omran and Raghed
Ahmed al-Qaed’s ID card next to his wifes
A women and young girl walk under wires and water pipes in the camp
Water tanks and wiring mix
Representatives of the popular committees for the camps – the governing body
The ‘Wall of Dead’
Rare respite: The Bourj al-Barajneh camp has high levels of poverty
In a dark alley, a man uses the light from a touch keyring to see his way
Photos by JHY 