Qana death toll lower than originally reported: Human Rights Watch

[oberliner]

Thankfully, at least 22 people originally reported killed appear to have escaped and survived.

Human Rights Watch puts Qana death toll at 28

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The U.S.-based rights watchdog Human Rights Watch on Wednesday put the death toll from an Israeli air strike at the Lebanese village of Qana at 28 and 13 missing, below the official Lebanese figure of 54 dead.

The incident on July 30 was one of the deadliest strikes in the 22-day-old war between Israel and the Lebanese-based Hizbollah guerrillas and jolted international efforts to resolve the conflict.

"The initial estimate of 54 persons killed was based on a register of 63 persons who had sought shelter in the basement of the building that was struck, and rescue teams having located nine survivors," Human Rights Watch said in a statement on Wednesday.

"It now appears that at least 22 people escaped the basement, and 28 are confirmed dead, according to records from the Lebanese Red Cross and the government hospital in Tyre," Human Right Watch said in a statement. It gave the names and ages of those killed.

http://asia.news.yahoo.com/060802/3/2nycw.html

[Tom Joad]

1. Then it only looks like 41 people dead.

Are people going to let Israel off the hook because of this?
Isn't Israel continuing everyday to add to the death toll in Lebanon? In Gaza?

[cali]

3. Of course not.

Israel's bombing of Lebanon has still resulted in nearly a thousand dead, but it's good news that not so many people as originally thought, died in that horrific attack.

[QuestionAll...]

6. and the numbers transferred to another horrific attack...

elsewhere in Lebanon.
not comforting at all.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

2. Oh, well. That must be a comfort to the dead 41 and their families.

"Each man's death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee."

John Donne

[uppityperson]

4. glad it was not as bad, glad some more survived

this is always good to hear

[elehhhhna]

5. Oh. Then nevermind.

[k_jerome]

7. please note how many responses actually contain some sort..

of happiness or comfort that some people are alive that were thought dead. Fewer innocent casualties, for myself, is a blessing.

[Igel]

8. Yes, the official count was actually an assumed dead because

they were missing.

Most officials would divide the numbers into confirmed dead and missing. But not Khalifeh, the Health Minister.

The worse the body count, the more the pressure. And Khalifeh isn't a new convert to supporting Hezbollah.

Keep in mind that the official body count of 600 from a few days ago included 100-150 missing in some attack, with the upper limit of the guess included in the official death toll. This was obvious to the reporters, for a day. No word on how or if that was revised.

The point: summing up the officially announced death tolls by attack will lead to spurious, inflated numbers. Which is, I suspect, the idea.

The civilians deaths are horrendous. Inflating their numbers to manipulate people is vile.