Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

LC017b

Incident date

May 23, 2015

Location

زعفران, Zaafran, Surt, Libya

Geolocation

31.206944, 16.549167 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

A father and one or two of his daughters were reported killed as a result of an alleged GNC/Libya Dawn airstrike on Sirte.

Most sources claim that a father with his two daughters were killed in an airstrike on their family home. However, some sources reported that only one of his daughters died and they were in fact in their car.

Tajwara News reported: “The terrorist aeroplane which belongs to Libya Dawn targeted a house in Zaafran residential neighbourhood, killing a father and his daughters.”

Afrigate News posted on Twitter that the “Sirte hospital receives three killed by mistake by Libya Dawn plane in the Zaafran area.”

Rawadfree1 wrote: “Shelling by an aircraft in the Zaafran area of Sirte, shrapnel hitting a car causing its burning, the death of a father and his daughter and another girl wounded.”

Ean Libya published a similar take: “Military aircraft from Libya Dawn hit a car in the Zaafran area, which led to the death of father and daughter.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Adult male via @Libyan_01 killed
1994 years old female via @Libyan_01 killed
1996 years old female via @Libyan_01 killed

Geolocation notes (1) [ collapse]

Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Zaafran (زعفران), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.206944, 16.549167. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

  • Reports of the incident mention the neighbourhood of Zaafran (زعفران).

    Imagery:
    Google Earth

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (1–2 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    General National Congress (GNC)

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Translation: Shelling of an air force in the Zafran area of Sirte, shrapnel hits a car causing its burning, the death of father and daughter and wounding another girl (Source: @rawadfree1)
  • Another picture of the scorched car (via rawadfree1)
  • Translation: Martyr Massoud Hamali. He died with his two daughters by bombing Fajr Libya flight today And news of the death of his third daughter Fatima (Source: @cleobatraa)
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: your blood is our blood... RIP my dear (Source: Ibrahim Al-Himal, the victims relative)

General National Congress (GNC) Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    General National Congress (GNC)
  • General National Congress (GNC) position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2 – 3
  • (1–2 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    0–1
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected belligerent
    General National Congress (GNC)

Sources (13) [ collapse]