(C) U.S. State Dept This story was originally published by U.S. State Dept and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . The August 7, 1998, East Africa Embassy Bombings [1] ['Lauren Aitken'] Date: 2023-08-03 14:45:26+00:00 On August 7, 1998, at 10:30 am, truck bombs exploded at U.S. embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, killing more than 200 people and wounding more than 4,000. The attacks were later linked to the terrorist group al-Qaeda. Suicide bombers parked trucks loaded with explosives outside each embassy and almost simultaneously detonated them. At the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi, Kenya, approximately 212 people were killed and an estimated 4,000 wounded. At the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 11 people were killed and over 85 people injured. Of those killed, 56 were U.S. government employees, contractors, and family members were killed. In November 1998, the United States indicted Osama bin Laden and 21 other members of the al-Qaeda terrorist group for the bombings and conspiring to commit other acts of terrorism. This August 8, 1998, file photo shows the U.S. Embassy Nairobi, left, and other damaged buildings in downtown Nairobi, Kenya, the day after terrorist bombs in Kenya and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. (AP Photo/Dave Caulkin, File) Items from August 7, 1998 Bombings in Our Collection Days like August 7 remind us how much American diplomats risk their lives to serve the American people. These items in our collection help tell the story of their resilience and resolve. Glass Shards from Embassy Bombing FROM THE COLLECTION Glass Shards from Embassy Bombing John E. Lange was serving as Charge d’Affaires at U.S. Embassy Dar Es Salaam on August 7, 1998. Lange remembers feeling a deep rumble before an explosion rocked his office, shattering windows that flew like blades above his head in what he described as slow motion. Miraculously, he and the others in the room suffered only superficial injuries. This window film and glass shards were recovered from the office. Gift of John E. Lange. View Glass Shards from Embassy Bombing Isuzu Trooper Grille FROM THE COLLECTION Isuzu Trooper Grille In Nairobi, U.S. Ambassador Prudence Bushnell suffered injuries as she was meeting with officials in a neighboring building that was damaged in the blast. Due to the destruction and confusion, local first responders were not able to immediately access the bombed embassy site in Nairobi. Foreign Service Officer couple Worley and Joyce Reed were two of several employees who found themselves within or near the site and jumped into action trying to help get their fellow coworkers out. Their personal vehicle, a 1989 Isuzu Trooper, was soon turned into a makeshift ambulance. It was the first “ambulance” in use immediately after the blast, before actual ambulances were able to reach the site. Gift of Worley (Lee) Reed and Joyce A. Reed. View the Isuzu Trooper Grille Day Planner from Bombed Embassy FROM THE COLLECTION Day Planner from Bombed Embassy This day planner belonged to Foreign Service Officer Ellen Richard, one of the survivors of the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. Richard lost her eyesight due to injuries from the bombing, and her personal story of courage and resilience—like that of so many others—is inspiring. Her day planner managed to survive the bombing despite the near-total interior destruction of the part of the embassy she was in; it was sitting on her desk at the time of the explosion. Gift of Ellen (Bomer) Richard. View the Day Planner Embassy Nairobi Concrete Fragment FROM THE COLLECTION Embassy Nairobi Concrete Fragment The force of the explosion in Nairobi blew this fragment of concrete into the vehicle of embassy employee Bonita Estes. The fragment flew through the back window, destroying the glass but sparing the rest of it any damage. Gift of Bonita Estes. View the Fragment Ambassador Bushnell's Hard Hat FROM THE COLLECTION Ambassador Bushnell's Hard Hat The day after the bombings, Ambassador Bushnell toured the wreckage of the U.S. embassy in Nairobi to inspect the damage. Head Security Engineer Worley “Lee” Reed gave her this customized hard hat before leading her through the site. Gift of Ambassador Prudence Bushnell. View Ambassador Bushnell’s Hard Hat Ambassador Bushnell's Suit FROM THE COLLECTION Ambassador Bushnell's Suit U.S. Ambassador to Kenya Prudence Bushnell was wearing this suit at the time of the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi. The suit bears blood stains from the head injury she received in the bombing. Gift of Ambassador Prudence Bushnell. View Ambassador Bushnell’s Suit U.S. Commercial Officer Riz Khaliq shields Ambassador Bushnell as Foreign Service National George Mimba (right) and Foreign Service Officer Steve Nolan (left) assist in evacuating the ambassador from the site. (AP Photo/Sayyid Azim) Watch C-SPAN’s “American Artifacts: 1998 U.S. Embassy Bombings in Africa Preview” Sources East Africa Embassy Bombings, 25 Years Later: Reflections from Ambassadors Prudence Bushnell and John E. Lange – AFSA East Africa Bombings and Retaliation Report – Washington Post East African Embassy Bombings – FBI. Remembering the 1998 Embassy Bombings – United States Department of State [END] --- [1] Url: https://diplomacy.state.gov/the-august-7-1998-east-africa-embassy-bombings/ Published and (C) by U.S. State Dept Content appears here under this condition or license: Public Domain. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/usstate/