Dramatic footage captures the Beirut explosion as smiling bride poses for video
Israa Seblani and Ahmad Sbeih were celebrating the happiest day of their lives when the Beirut explosion happened.
Seblani was being filmed for her wedding video, dressed in a white gown and veil, when moments later an enormous explosion erupted, shattering glass and sending dust and debris flying through the air.
Watch the footage from Reuters below.
A Lebanese bride posed for photographs moments before a massive warehouse explosion sent a devastating blast wave across Beirut pic.twitter.com/dFTxR9gO8J
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 5, 2020
Speaking to Reuters, Seblani, a 29-year-old doctor, said: “I have been preparing for my big day for two weeks and I was so happy like all 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.
“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?”
Seblani, her husband Ahmad and the wedding photographer were all unharmed by the blast.
After the explosion, the couple tried to carry on with their special day, and are planning to return to the United States, where Seblani works.
The video has subsequently gone viral, with almost two million views on Twitter. What should have been a precious memory is now a record of a tragedy.
The explosion in Beirut has left at least 135 people dead, 5,000 injured, and as many as 300,000 people homeless.
