A Lebanese bride is lucky to be alive after the deadly explosion in Beirut on Tuesday. The bride, 29-year-old Israa Seblani, w...
A Lebanese bride is lucky to be alive after the deadly explosion in Beirut on Tuesday.
The bride, 29-year-old Israa Seblani, was taking part in a glamorous wedding photo shoot in a Beirut public square when the shockwave of the massive explosion nearly blew her off her feet.
The deadly explosion killed at least 135 people and injured more than 5,000.
What happened in the video?
In the video, Seblani — a Lebanese physician working in the United States — can be seen smiling for a videographer, turning her head to and fro to show off the beauty of her intricate white gown and veil.
The videographer begins to pan down the length of Seblani's white dress when a gentle sort of rumbling quickly turns into a deafening explosion.
Seblani's hand can be seen twitching as if looking for something to grab onto, and she is nearly knocked off her feet as the camera wildly swings to nearby building facades that are enveloped in dust and smoke.
What did she do next?
Seblani told Reuters that she immediately fled to check on the injured and then left the city center to seek safety.
"I have been preparing for my big day for two weeks and I was so happy like all the other girls," she recalled. "'I am getting married.' My parents are going to be happy seeing me in a white dress, I will be looking like a princess."
Seblani said that she feared for her life as the explosions rocked the port city.
"What happened during the explosion here — there is no word to explain," she admitted. "I was shocked, I was wondering what happened, am I going to die? How am I going to die?"
Seblani added that she never heard such a sound before.
Officials blamed the blast on a large stockpile of highly explosive materials stored for years in a port building.
"I feel so sad about what happened to other people, about what happened to Lebanon," she added. "When I woke up and saw the damage that happened to Beirut, the one thing I said was 'Thank God we are still alive.'"
Despite the blast, Seblani and her new husband carried out their long-planned nuptials.
"My husband told me to continue, we can't stop," the Lebanese doctor added. "I was like, 'Okay, why not, we continue.' I was not living in the moment, actually, I was like, walking, my face was smiling, my lips were smiling, that's it. Not more. Then we went to have a dinner."
Seblani said that while she joylessly went through the motions of her wedding, she is still grateful to be alive.
"There is a lot of damage, many people were killed and wounded," she said. "But also if I want to look at us, myself, my husband, the photographer — how we escaped unharmed, I thank God for protecting us."
She concluded, "This alone makes me feel optimistic and to keep the joy of the occasion that I came here to celebrate."
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