It’s a memory that will last a lifetime – but for this beautiful bride the video her wedding photographer captured won’t express the joy of that day.
The bride, smiling and dressed in a long, ornate gown, posed for photographer Mahmoud Nakib Tuesday – a stunning scene that came to an abrupt end when a powerful blast ripped through the Beirut.
The roar of the explosion is deafening. The shockwave nearly blows the young woman – identified by Reuters as 29-year-old Israa Seblani, of Lebanon – off her feet.
Nakib continues to record as the force of the explosion pushes him down the street.
People can be seen running for safety – including the bride and groom – in what Nakib called a nightmare scene.
Nakib and the rest of the wedding party weren’t injured, but the massive explosion killed at least 135 people and injured thousands more.
The blast appeared to have been triggered by a fire that touched off a giant quantity of ammonium nitrate fertilizer stored for years in the port, which exploded with the force of a moderately strong earthquake.
The disaster comes atop the worst economic crisis in Lebanon’s modern history, and hesitancy among some backers, including France, to keep propping up a country in dire need of reform.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.