Over 70 people have been killed while thousands of others were wounded in the massive explosion on Tuesday in Beirut, which shattered buildings and caused widespread damage. Miles from the port, balconies were knocked down, windows shattered, streets were covered with glass and bricks and lined with wrecked cars. Motorcyclists picked their way through traffic, carrying the injured. Several devastating pictures and videos have been doing the rounds of the internet suggesting the magnitude of the explosion's impact. One the videos that went viral on the internet showed a bride-to-be running for her life.
29-year-old Lebanese bride Israa Seblani was busy posing for her wedding photos in a beautiful white gown and veil, when the deafening roar of the explosion interrupted it. In the video, the bride ca be seen running amid the chaos caused by the colossal explosion.
A Twitter user shared the clip on the internet and wrote: "A bride in downtown Beirut".
Watch it here:
Reacting to the heartbreaking video, a user commented, "This is one of the saddest things I have ever seen. God help the Middle East."
"Oh my god my thoughts and prayers goes to everyone in #Beirut this truly makes my heart ache," wrote another user.
A comment read: "My heart hurt when I watched this. A day to celebrate love was turned into a day of mourning as the whole city suffers."
The explosion flattened much of a port and damaged buildings across the capital, sending a giant mushroom cloud into the sky. In addition to those who died, more than 3,000 other people were injured, with bodies buried in the rubble.
Miles from the port, a woman covered in blood from the waist up walked down a trashed street while talking furiously on her phone. On another street, a woman with a bloodied face looked distraught, staggering through traffic with two friends at her side.
"This country is cursed," a young man passing by muttered.
The blast struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany's geosciences center GFZ, and it was heard and felt as far away as Cyprus more than 200 kilometers (180 miles) across the Mediterranean.
(With inputs from agencies)
