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Beirut Explosion Claims the Life of Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane

Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh
Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh
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Beirut Explosion Claims the Life of Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane

Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh
Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh

Lady Yvonne Sursock Cochrane, the owner of Sursock Palace in Ashrafieh, passed away at the age of 98. Cochrane was hit during the Beirut explosion on Aug. 4 while sitting in one of the palace halls.

She lived on the ground floor of the historical mansion, while her son Rodrigue and his family occupy the second floor. At the moment of the explosion, she was sitting, as usual, in one of the palace rooms, and was wounded and rushed to the hospital.

The palace, on the Sursock Street in the Ashrafieh area, suffered great material losses, as the two floors, in addition to its lush garden, were severely damaged by the explosion of the port in Beirut.

Cochrane, who was keen on preserving the heritage buildings in Beirut, established in 1960 the APSAD Foundation to encourage the protection of heritage sites. On National Heritage Day every year, Yvonne Cochrane opens the doors of her palace to visitors, to get a closer look at its ancient and artistic features.

The Sursock Palace is one of the oldest heritage buildings in Beirut, and it is known as “Lady Cochrane” Palace. It is home to rare historical artifacts dating back to the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

Lady Yvonne Cochrane has European roots from her mother, Donna Maria, of Italian descent. As for the palace, it was built in 1860 by Moussa Sursock, Yvonne’s grandfather.

Donna Maria married an Irish lord of the Cochran family, and she carried his surname. As the only child of her father, Alfred Cochrane, Yvonne inherited the palace, in which she lived until her death on Aug. 31.

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Red Cross Concerned by Drone Attacks on Critical Infrastructure in Sudan

People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
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Red Cross Concerned by Drone Attacks on Critical Infrastructure in Sudan

People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)
People collect food at a location set up by a local humanitarian organization to donate meals and medication to people displaced by the war in Sudan, in Meroe in the country's Northern State, on January 9, 2025. (Photo by AFP)

The Red Cross raised alarm on Thursday at the growing use of drone attacks by warring parties on hospitals, electricity and water infrastructure in Sudan, which it said was contributing to widespread human rights violations.

Some 70-80% of hospitals in Sudan were not running and there were concerns cholera could surge due to damage caused by the war to water infrastructure, the International Committee of the Red Cross told reporters in Geneva.

"A recent drone attack stopped all the electricity provision in an area close to Khartoum, which means critical infrastructure is being damaged," said Patrick Youssef, the Red Cross's Regional Director for Africa, in a new report.

"There is a clear increased use of these technologies, drones - to be in the hands of everyone - which increases the impact on the local population and the intensity of attacks," Youssef said.

After two years of fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, some people are returning to Khartoum after they were forced to flee when war broke out on April 15, 2023 amidst a ongoing power struggle between the army and the RSF ahead of a transition to civilian rule.

Some 12 million people have been displaced by the conflict since 2023.

"We have seen violations of the law left, right and center,” Youssef said, urging the warring parties to allow the Red Cross access so it can offer humanitarian support and document atrocities.

In March, aid groups told Reuters that the RSF had placed new constraints on aid deliveries to territories where it was seeking to cement its control. Aid groups have also accused the army of denying or hindering access to RSF-controlled areas.

Both sides in the conflict deny impeding aid.