Several families of victims and survivors of the Oklahoma City bombing are feeling frustrated after they weren’t able to attend the 30th Remembrance Ceremony when First Church reached capacity on Saturday.
Executive director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum Kari Watkins said the sanctuary sat 1,200 people, which was roughly the average the group sees each year.
After the ceremony, the national memorial shared a statement of apology on Facebook to those who may have been unable to attend due to the sanctuary’s 1,200-person capacity or in the overflow areas.
“We are deeply sorry and would never knowingly cause pain to those who have already suffered so much,” the post reads.
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While the group promised to learn what had happened to prevent individuals from attending, families expressed their situation and grievances in the comment section.
One commenter stated that as a family of one of the victims, they traveled from Florida to attend and RSVP’d ahead of the ceremony, yet they, along with other families, “had to stand/sit outside in the cold rain and wait.”
Another commenter stated that in 2000, at the fifth anniversary, the national memorial delivered tickets to families of victims, survivors and rescue workers. That was something they wished could continue for the future.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: OKC bombing victims turned away from ceremony after site hit capacity