Two massive explosions in Lebanese capital Beirut have so far killed over 135 people and injured more than 5,000, with an unknown number feared trapped under rubble, as per the Guardian. The blasts took place on Tuesday evening (around 6.10 p.m. local time), shaking buildings all over the city while also causing severe damage and casualties.
Several terrifying visuals of the explosion have been making round on social media. One such video shows a bride on her wedding day in Beirut is posing for the photo shoot when the massive explosion took place at the port.
The dramatic footage captured the moment when a massive explosion rocked Beirut. The 29-year-old Lebanese bride Israa Seblani was seen running away from the scene along with others after the blast. The photographer Mahmoud Nakib pans his camera from the bride decked out in a white lace wedding dress to capture the surroundings.
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Seblani, who is a doctor working in the United States, arrived in the city three weeks ago for her wedding. She helped to check on the injured nearby, before fleeing central Beirut’s Saifi square.
“I have been preparing for my big day for two weeks and I was so happy like all the other girls, ‘I am getting married’. My parents are going to be happy seeing me in a white dress, I will be looking like a princess,” she told Reuters.
“What happened during the explosion here – there is no word to explain ... I was shocked, I was wondering what happened, am I going to die? How am I going to die?”
President Michel Aoun said that 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate, used in fertilisers and bombs, had been stored for six years at the port without safety measures. He said that was "unacceptable".
Officials did not say what caused the blaze that set off the blast. A security source and media said it was caused by welding work being carried out on a hole in the warehouse.
"It's like a war zone. I'm speechless," Beirut's Mayor Jamal Itani told the media while inspecting the damage on Wednesday that he estimated would lead to losses in the billions of dollars.
"This is a catastrophe for Beirut and Lebanon."
Many countries in the region expressed solidarity and sympathy with Lebanon over the explosions that have dealt a further blow to the country already plagued by the Covid-19 pandemic and an economic crisis.
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