Iranian man whose 12 family members were killed says his life is buried here
A call interrupted by the blast
On March 9, Mirzaei left home to check in at work. At about 2:30pm, his wife messaged him to ask for headache medicine. When he called to ask which kind, her phone was busy; a guest’s phone was busy as well.
He says the ground shook as he held his phone. He tried calling his wife and other relatives, including his parents and grandfather, but none of their phones could be reached. He initially believed the attack had hit elsewhere in the neighbourhood.
Twelve relatives were killed
When Mirzaei reached the neighbourhood, he saw that the house had been struck and reduced to its skeleton. He hoped rescue efforts might find his family alive beneath the debris, but nobody was found in the hours that followed.
Those killed included his wife, 26-year-old Mohadeseh, his parents and grandparents, and eight other relatives. His sister-in-law, a guest at the home, also died. The couple had been planning to start a family.
Returning to the ruins daily
Seven months after the bombing, Mirzaei says he still returns to the destroyed home each day. He recalls searching the ruins for some trace of his loved ones, but says nothing remains.
He says his grief has grown worse over time and that he is the only member of his family left. Mirzaei described himself as proof that war cannot lead to a good outcome, asking what, in what happened to him, could be good.
Key points
- Mirzaei says 12 relatives died when an attack struck their Tehran home on March 9.
- His wife, Mohadeseh, was among those killed; they had planned to start a family.
- Seven months later, he returns to the ruins daily and says his grief is worsening.
- Mirzaei says he is the only member of his family left.