Bernard Fattal dies in Egypt car crash

BEIRUT: Prominent Lebanese businessman Bernard Fattal died in a car accident in Cairo on Saturday.

Fattal and his colleague Tony Saade, who also died in the accident, were traveling to the residence of mutual friend Nicholas Tueni, when the car flipped three times on the highway before it crashed after a tire blew out.

Fattal and Saade were killed immediately, and their driver went into a coma due to severe injuries sutained in the crash. 

Fattal, who known to be a hunting enthusiast and who practiced his hobby in several countries in Africa and Europe, was in Egypt with Saade for a hunting trip when the ill-fated car crash occured. 

Fattal headed the Khalil Fattal et Fils corporation, an agent for multinational companies and distributor of premium brands in Lebanon and the Levant.

The Fattal family and friends were in shock after receiving news of his death, according to visitors to his house in Mansourieh. 

Fattal was known for his efforts and donations to help the underprivileged and to launch developmental projects.

As an active member of the Knights of Malta, an NGO specialized in charity work, Fattal undertook and supervised several projects in support of the poor, the sick, and the disabled. 

Fattal’s friends describe him as clever, modest and noble. 

Fattal who was born in 1945, held several degrees in politics, economics, marketing as well as communication. 

He was one of the founders of the Businessmen Gathering as well as a prominent member of Lebanon’s Syndicate of Importers of Medicines in Lebanon which his father Jean Fattal founded in 1947.

Fattal is survived by wife Marie Christine Asfar, and sons Hubert, Jean, and Bertrand and his family. – The Daily Star