Image via Shutterstock
A massive explosion shook up central Beirut on Tuesday, blowing up buildings across the city and injuring many people, with dozens of being killed from the incident.
The blast sent up a massive mushroom cloud-shaped shockwave, causing damage to distant buildings. According to Lebanon’s prime minister Hassan Diab, 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate—a highly explosive material found in bombs—had been stored for six years in a port warehouse without any safety measures, “
endangering the safety of citizens.”
A heartbreaking video shared by Twitter user @mohammadlinah shows a beautiful bride smiling gleefully in her photoshoot just moments before the catastrophe happened.
Dressed in white, she posed in her gown and long veil as the camera panned down to show off her outfit and bouquet of flowers. The video then unexpectedly captured the impact of the blast, and saw the woman being visibly thrown off before fleeing the scene with the groom. The camera crew also scrambled to the nearest building for safety.
French president Emmanuel Macron announced in a tweet that his country will be sending aid to Lebanon. “I express my fraternal solidarity with the Lebanese after the explosion which claimed so many victims and damages this evening in Beirut. France stands alongside Lebanon. Always. French aid and resources are being transported on the spot [of the explosion],” he said.
[via
mohammadlinah, opening image via
Shutterstock]