In the video above, which was filmed by Mahmoud Nakib, Israa Seblani can be seen smiling into the camera after her wedding before an ominous bang is heard in the distance.
The camera then moves to a different street where clouds of dust overwhelm the footage.
People can then be seen running from the blast, including Seblani who was filmed running for cover on what was meant to be the happiest day of her life.
She explained that she spent two weeks planning for her big day and had hoped to spend it looking like a princess, but instead she was left fearing for her life during the initial blast.
The 29-year-old bride, who through sheer luck is a doctor, then put her skills to good use and began to help people affected by the blast.
At the time of writing, the explosion has claimed at least 137 lives with many more still missing, CNN reports.
In an interview with the BBC, Beirut's governor Marwan Aboud said that the explosion has left as many as 30,000 people homeless.
He said: "Beirut needs food, Beirut needs clothes, houses, materials to rebuild houses. Beirut needs a place for the refugees, for its people."
Unfortunately, because of the scale of the devastation, hospitals in the area are struggling to cope and lack the necessary resources to help many of those in a critical condition.
If you'd like to help those affected by the blast, you can donate to the Lebanese Red Cross here.
On Tuesday (August 4), the city of Beirut suffered one of the worst disasters in human history, as a monstrous and catastrophic explosion at a warehouse in Lebanon's capital sent a shockwave of destruction through the city.
However, as the world struggles to come to terms with the devastation and loss caused by the explosion, many videos and stories are surfacing on social media showing the true bravery displayed by many people throughout the city.
One person who has been hailed a "hero" by social media users is a domestic worker who rushed to save her employer's child as shockwaves from the blast tore through an apartment building.
As reported by the Daily Mail, the footage shows the maid vacuuming the carpet as the small child plays nearby. The camera can then be seen visibly shaking, as the pair are noticeably startled by the sound of the blast.
Shortly after 6:00PM local time, a large fire could be seen at the Port of Beirut, on the city's northern Mediterranean coast, the BBC reports.
Videos posted to social media showed white smoke billowing from Warehouse 12, next to the port's huge grain silos.
After a large explosion, witnesses said they could see several smaller blasts that sounded like fireworks being set off.
Then, approximately 30 seconds later, there was a colossal explosion that sent a mushroom cloud into the air and a supersonic blastwave radiating through the city - leaving destruction in its wake. CNN reports that the explosion caused damage six miles away from the initial blast point.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]]
The explosion was so large that it was heard 125 miles away in Cyprus, and, per the BBC, seismologists at the United States Geological Survey said it was the equivalent of a 3.3-magnitude earthquake.
Lebanon's President, Michel Aoun, has since blamed the detonation on 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that claims was being stored unsafely at a warehouse in the port.
As of this writing, it has been reported that 137 people died as a result of the blast, and roughly 5,000 others were injured.
Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud has revealed that as many as 300,000 people have been made temporarily homeless by the explosion.
A couple of newlyweds had their lives torn apart shortly after their wedding following a devastating home explosion.
The explosion took place during the wedding celebrations. Credit: GoFundMe
While Tom Davis and Eleni Vrettos were celebrating their wedding in Cicero, Illinois, a massive explosion leveled their home - leaving them homeless, without insurance, and mourning a heartbreaking loss.
The explosion occurred around 5:00PM on February 16 at the couple’s residence on Central Avenue, where six people lived, per CBS affiliate WBBM-TV.
The blast was so powerful that it not only destroyed their two-story home but also damaged neighboring buildings across the street.
Davis and Vrettos were still celebrating their nuptials when they received the devastating news.
“I ran here in my wedding dress, like down the alley, and was watching from a neighbor’s yard,” Vrettos told WGN-TV. “Everything was just smoke at that point.”
She added: “Obviously, everything is under investigation right now, so we’re just dealing with the aftermath and just grieving. But also, there’s so much more ahead that we’re taking it hour by hour.”
The property was left devastated. Credit: GoFundMe
Authorities confirmed that a body was discovered in the rubble the next day. Initially, reports indicated that a wedding guest - later identified as 31-year-old Anthony Avila-Puebla - had left the reception in his mother’s car and was reported missing.
Shockingly, police now believe Avila-Puebla was not just a victim, but a key figure in the incident.
According to investigators, Avila-Puebla, who was in a relationship with someone living in the house, left the wedding unnoticed and was seen parking his car less than a block from the couple’s home.
Surveillance footage then captured him entering the house - but never coming back out, per News.com.au.
Anthony Avila-Puebla. Credit: Cicero Police Department
For Vrettos, losing her family home was already painful enough—but even more heartbreaking was the loss of her six beloved cats, who were inside when the explosion occurred.
“Now I don’t have a home and on top of it, I don’t have them as my home,” she said. “That’s the most devastating because they’re the ones that give me the comfort through that darkness.”
She added: “My dad passed away a few years ago, so we don’t have the home as a remembrance of him, too. It’s a lot to grieve.”
Despite the overwhelming tragedy, she holds onto hope that her pets may have survived. “I want to see if they’re around. I have a feeling they’re out there,” she told 29News.
The couple’s devastation doesn’t end there - Davis revealed that their home was under renovation at the time, and they were in the process of transferring their home insurance. This means they now have no coverage to help them recover financially from the disaster.
In response, family friend Julissa Martinez started a GoFundMe to support them. The fundraiser, which has already raised more than $62,000, describes the deep significance of the home to the Vrettos family.
“This home was more than just a house - it was where Eleni grew up, where she and Tom had moved in to start their new life together, and where the family had built countless memories over the years,” the fundraiser reads.
Funds are being raised for the couple. Credit: GoFundMe
The page also acknowledges the tragic loss of their cats - Bambi, Graham, Reya, Tucker, Old Boy, and Grey - who “brought comfort, companionship, and joy to their home, making this loss even more heartbreaking.”
While fire officials initially suspected a gas leak, authorities are still investigating what caused the explosion.
So far, no arrests have been made, and officials have yet to confirm if Avila-Puebla’s actions were intentional or accidental.
Meanwhile, the blast didn’t just impact the newlyweds - the explosion caused a neighboring building to catch fire, displacing 11 families in the process.
On Tuesday, videos of the devastating blast that tore through Beirut were widely shared across social media, as the world attempted to process the chaotic scenes emerging from the Lebanese capital.
After an initial fire at a warehouse at the Port of Beirut sent pillars of white into the sky, an immense explosion then sent a destructive shockwave throughout the city, causing damage up to five miles away.
Now, a jet ski rider has taken to social media to share an alternative view of the blast.
In the footage, which was later shared to TikTok, an overlaid captioned reads: "MASSIVE explosion in Beirut."
In the footage, the jet ski rider records the ongoing fire raging throughout the warehouse. However, just seconds in, the shockwave blast then emanates from the port, causing the jet ski driver to dive under water in an attempt to take cover.
When he reemerges, a gigantic cloud of smoke can be seen rising into the sky.
The video has provided people with a different perspective of the blast, as the majority of videos were captured on land.
Shortly after 6:00PM local time, a large fire could be seen at the Port of Beirut, on the city's northern Mediterranean coast, the BBC reports.
Videos posted to social media showed white smoke billowing from Warehouse 12, next to the port's huge grain silos.
After a large explosion, witnesses said they could see several smaller blasts that sounded like fireworks being set off.
Then, approximately 30 seconds later, there was a colossal explosion that sent a mushroom cloud into the air and a supersonic blastwave radiating through the city - leaving destruction in its wake. CNN reports that the explosion caused damage six miles away from the initial blast point.
[[imagecaption|| Credit: PA Images]]
The explosion was so large that it was heard 125 miles away in Cyprus, and, per the BBC, seismologists at the United States Geological Survey said it was the equivalent of a 3.3-magnitude earthquake.
Lebanon's President, Michel Aoun, has since blamed the detonation on 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate that claims was being stored unsafely at a warehouse in the port.
As of this writing, it has been reported that 137 people died as a result of the blast, and roughly 5,000 others were injured.
Beirut Governor Marwan Abboud has revealed that as many as 300,000 people have been made temporarily homeless by the explosion.
The bride, Haneen, 18, and her husband Revan, 27, were left devastated after losing many of their loved ones during their wedding in Qaraqosh in Iraq's northern Niveneh province last week.
The newlyweds were in the middle of their first dance when large indoor sparklers appeared to set decorations on the ceiling alight, which devastatingly caused the ceiling of the building to crumble, killing 100 of their guests.
The moment the fire broke out, leading the bride, groom, and their loved one to attempt to flee the building, was captured on drone footage within the venue, showing the terrifying moments they realized something had gone wrong.
In the footage, Haneen and Revan can be seen enjoying their romantic first dance surrounded by indoor fireworks, before the groom realizes the venue has caught light and the couple and their guests begin panicking and rushing for the exit of the Al Haytham Wedding Hall.
According to state news agency INA, flammable panels used in the ceiling work may have added to the ferocity of the fire after it caught alight before collapsing on top of guests at the venue.
"The fire led to the collapse of parts of the hall as a result of the use of highly flammable, low-cost building materials that collapse within minutes when fire breaks out," Iraq's civil defense directorate allegedly said.
Hundreds of guests had been in attendance at the venue, and around 100 are believed to have lost their lives while a further 150 were injured in the incident.
The building's ceiling collapsed in the devastating blaze. Credit: Ali Makram Ghareeb/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Imad Yohana, a 34-year-old guest who escaped the burning building, told Reuters: "We saw the fire pulsating, coming out of the hall. Those who managed got out and those who didn't got stuck. Even those who made their way out were broken."
Rania Waad, 17, who also managed to escape the blaze, added to AFP: "Fireworks started to climb to the ceiling [and] the whole hall went up in flames.
"We couldn't see anything. We were suffocating, we didn't know how to get out."
Haneen and Revan shared their devastation in an interview after the tragedy, which saw Haneen lose her mother and brother among 10 family members, while Revan lost 15 relatives.
Funerals have been held for the victims killed in the blaze. Credit: Ismael Adnan Yaqoob/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
The bride was too affected to speak, but Revan told Sky News: "Inside we are dead. We are numb. We are dead inside."
When asked about the cause of the blaze, which had been rumored to be started by indoor fireworks, Revan said: "It could be a short-circuit, I don't know. But the fire started in the ceiling.
"We felt the heat… When I heard the crackling I looked at the ceiling. Then the ceiling, which was all nylon, started to melt. It only took seconds."
The bride and groom managed to escape the inferno, as he explained: "I kept dragging her and trying to get her out of the kitchen entrance. As people were fleeing, people were trampling on her. Her legs are injured..."
Revan devastatingly added: "Our relatives, our friends, our loved ones are all gone.Two days ago we buried [Haneen's] uncle and his two daughters. Yesterday we buried her other uncle. Today we buried his daughter and we buried her mother. Her father is in a critical condition. We don't know what his condition is."
The couple has also said they will not be able to live in their community going forward after the intense trauma they suffered.
Featured image credit: Ali Makram Ghareeb/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
A bride and groom have made a heartwrenching confession after more than 100 people died at their wedding.
Haneen and Revan survived the September 2023 disaster at Al-Haitham Wedding Hall in Qaraqosh, in northern Iraq's Nineveh province, where around 900 guests had gathered to celebrate with them.
At least 150 people were injured in the blaze, which spread through the venue during the couple's wedding celebration.
The damaged wedding hall after a fire broke out during Revan and Haneen's ceremony in Mosul, Iraq, on September 26, 2023. Credit: Anadolu / Getty
The newlyweds said the scale of their loss had left them unable to imagine continuing their lives in their hometown.
"That's it, we can't live here anymore. We can't live here anymore," Revan told Sky News. "I mean, every time we try to have some happiness, something tragic happens to us and destroys the happiness. So, it's best for us to leave."
"It's true that we're sitting here in front of you alive. But inside we are dead. We are numb. We are dead inside," he added.
Haneen lost 10 members of her family, including her mother and brother, while her father was left in critical condition. Revan said 15 members of his own family died.
He explained that Haneen had been so affected by the tragedy that she "can't speak".
The days following what should have been one of the most joyful moments of their lives instead became consumed by funerals and updates about their relatives.
"Our relatives, our friends, our loved ones are all gone.. Two days ago, we buried her [Haneen's] uncle and his two daughters. Yesterday we buried her other uncle. Today we buried his daughter, and we buried her mother. Her father is in a critical condition. We don't know what his condition is," Revan said.
"My aunt died. My sister had burns. Her husband has burns all over his body. My uncle lost 7 members. So many people. And every day we hear more news."
He added: “On the wedding night… why did this happen? What did we do? Why did this happen?”
Fire broke out as the newlyweds danced
The fire broke out late in the evening as the couple took to the floor to dance, with guests gathered around them.
Initial reports suggested fireworks used during the dance caused the blaze; however, Revan said he believed the fire began in the ceiling.
"It could be a short-circuit, I don't know. But the fire started in the ceiling. We felt the heat… When I heard the crackling, I looked at the ceiling," he said. "Then the ceiling, which was all nylon, started to melt. It only took seconds."
According to Revan, a power cut occurred during the dance. When the electricity returned, he said he "saw fire" in the ceiling, and that's when guests began to "scream" and "run away".
As panic spread through the venue, Revan said he tried to get Haneen to safety through a kitchen entrance.
"I grabbed my wife, and I began to drag her. I kept dragging her and trying to get her out of the kitchen entrance. As people were fleeing, people were trampling on her. Her legs are injured," he said.
The couple eventually managed to escape through a kitchen door.
Revan claimed there was only one fire extinguisher available inside the hall and that it "didn't work".
Funerals were held after the wedding fire. Credit: Ismael Adnan Yaqoob / Anadolu Agency / Getty
Officials pointed to flammable building materials
The Civil Defence Directorate told the Iraqi News Agency that the banquet hall was covered with highly flammable composite panels that would violate safety regulations.
"The fire led to the collapse of parts of the hall as a result of the use of highly flammable, low-cost building materials that collapse within minutes when the fire breaks out," the directorate said, according to The Independent.
Interior Minister Abdul Amir al-Shammari said a preliminary investigation found the blaze was "caused by fireworks, which led to the roof burning heavily and collapsing on the citizens," per INA.
The BBC reported that 14 people were arrested following the fire, including four people involved in setting off the fireworks. Some were subsequently released.
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