Events dedicated to the 27th anniversary of the tragedy in the underground passage of Nemiga metro station, which claimed the lives of 53 people on May 30, 1999, writes BelTA.
The events began with a Divine Liturgy commemorating the deceased, which was served at the Holy Spirit Cathedral. After this, the faithful processed to the tragedy site near Nemiga metro station, where they laid flowers on the steps of the passage and near a small chapel next to the memorial. A memorial litany was also held there.
A memorial composition in the form of 53 bronze flowers is installed on the steps at the site of the tragic events, symbolizing the number of victims. The inscription "53 scars on the heart of Belarus" is carved on the steps.
Every year, relatives and friends of the deceased come to the monument. Svetlana Rabakon and her daughter Elena came to honor the memory of her son.
On that day, 24-year-old Gennady Rabakon went to the celebration with his wife. She survived, but he was caught in the crowd.
The mother of the deceased painfully recalls that day: "I was at home, and suddenly the intercom rang: 'Hurry, people are crushed in the metro. Go look for Gena.' As I rushed here, I didn't even feel the ground under my feet. I ran, and my daughter-in-law was sitting dirty, wet, barefoot."
Svetlana Rabakon did not find her son then; later, relatives suggested she go to Hospital No. 9. She went there with her son Dmitry. "He went to find out, and then he came out and said: 'Mom, let's go. We don't need to be here, let's go home.' And at home, he said that Gena was no longer with us," she added.
According to Elena Rabakon, the entire Belarusian nation rallied together in that situation. She said that people who had personal cars helped transport the injured to medical facilities, as well as those who were looking for their relatives. Private clinics also opened their doors. "It became clear – there is no such thing as someone else's grief," the sister noted.
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