A 29-years-old Lebanese bride, Isra Seblani, whose video went viral on social media following two horrific Beirut explosions, opened up about her experience.
The viral video shows the blasts almost blew the bride off her feet as she posed towards the camera during her wedding photo shoot. The wedding photoshoot also captured moments of the deafening sound of blasts and chaos that marred the shoot and tore the city of Beirut. The blast has left at least 145 dead and 5000 people injured. Fortunately, the bride and groom remained unscathed during the explosions.
WATCH: This Lebanese wedding photographer captured a bride and groom getting married just as a massive explosion rocked #Beirut.
The couple were unharmed in the blast and took refuge in a house before continuing their ceremony pic.twitter.com/0bMtt2OWC7
— Bloomberg Originals (@bbgoriginals) August 5, 2020
Isra Seblani- the Lebanese bride escaped Beirut explosions
Isra Seblani was less than a mile away from the epicenter of explosions- Saifi Square in central Beirut. The bride and groom, Ahmed Sbieh, a 34-year-old businessman fled the scene for safety after getting on the feet. However, a day later, the couple opened up their dismal experience.
“I have been preparing for my big day for two weeks and I was so happy like all the other girls, ‘I am getting married’. My parents are going to be happy seeing me in a white dress, I will be looking like a princess,” Isra Seblani told the international media outlet.
Isra Seblani is a doctor working in the United States. Three weeks ago she flew from the USA to Lebanon for her wedding. “At the moment I was taking that picture, life was so normal,” said Isra Seblani while explaining the moments before blasts. Adding that nearby restaurants were bustling with people dining in and shopping. “And in just a matter of seconds, the sky turned from blue to pink and there was heavy smoke in the sky,” said Seblani.
Read more: Lebanon president rejects international investigation into Beirut port blast
“What happened during the explosion here – there is no word to explain … I was shocked, I was wondering what happened, am I going to die? How am I going to die?” said Dr. Seblani while expressing her shock.
“It just took a second from hearing the explosion to being hit by it,” she said. “The beautiful place that I was in, it turned into a ghost town.”
And @Reuters found Lebanese bride, Dr. Israa Seblani. She thankfully is fine and actually before looking for safety, she tried to see if anyone was hurt and she could help! https://t.co/q0VXIQt6dD
— Beairshelle Edmé (@newsladyB) August 5, 2020
Aftermath Destruction
She said the blasts knocked her down. When she got to her feet she saw the land fraught with shattered pieces of glass. She saw people bleeding and wailing for help.
Groom Sbeih also recalled the scenes during the blasts. He said he was standing at a short distance away from Isra Seblani as he saw her posing for the camera. He said at the first blast he asked the photographer if he heard an explosion. “And the photographer told me, ‘It’s Lebanon, you know, it’s OK, nevermind,’” he said. “And after that, I heard an explosion like I’d never heard in my whole life.”. Sbeih said he was thrown in the air and landed six feet away by the pressure. He said after getting up he rushed to save Isra Seblani and run for rescue.
The couple recounted the aftermath scenes of destruction and devastations by explosions in the Saifi neighborhood.
“We started to walk around and it was extremely sad, it was not describable the devastation and the sound of the explosion,” he said. “We are still in shock. I have never heard anything similar to the sound of this explosion,” said Sbeih.
“I feel so sad about what happened to other people, about what happened to Lebanon,” added Seblani. “When I woke up and saw the damage that happened to Beirut, the one thing I said was thanking God we are still alive.”
Life must Go On!
The couple said they muster the courage with great difficulty to continue the wedding ceremony following the explosions.
Read more: Beirut explosions: Pakistani, Turkish celebrities say heartfelt prayers for victims
“My husband told me to continue, we can’t stop. I was like okay, why not, we continue. I was not living 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,” said devastated bride Isra following the Beirut explosions.
Sbeih said the hotel was completely destructed with the explosions. Sbeih is waiting for his visa to join his wife in the United States of America. They had already postponed their wedding for three years due to visa issues. Hence, they decided not to delay the wedding further. The couple married at their home surrounded by family.
