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Bride's wedding video interrupted by Beirut explosion

Radiant in a long white gown and veil, 29-year-old Lebanese bride Israa Seblani stands smiling and posing for her wedding video.

The scene is shattered by a deafening roar and a powerful shockwave nearly blows her off her feet.

Dramatic footage captured the moment when a massive explosion rocked the Lebanese capital on Tuesday (local time), killing 135 people – including one Australian – and injuring more than 5,000.

Dr Seblani, a doctor working in the United States, helped to check on the injured nearby before fleeing central Beirut's Saifi square to safety.

Bride Israa Seblani on her wedding day before the Beirut explosion. Mahmoud Nakib via Storyful
Bride Israa Seblani on her wedding day before the Beirut explosion. Mahmoud Nakib via Storyful

A day later, she and her 34-year-old husband, Ahmad Subeih, a businessman in Beirut, were struggling to process what happened.

"I have been preparing for my big day for two weeks and I was so happy like all 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," she told Reuters.

READ MORE: Australian man's horror as friends 'ripped apart' in Beirut explosion

"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?"

Behind her, piles of smashed glass from the blown-out windows of the hotel where she was due to stay littered the ground, along with crushed remnants of flower arrangements that had adorned banquet tables.

Dr Seblani arrived in Beirut three weeks earlier to prepare for her wedding.

Mr Subeih recalled the aftermath of the blast, which officials have blamed on a huge stockpile of highly explosive material stored for years in unsafe conditions at the port.

"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."

"I feel so sad about what happened to other people, about what happened to Lebanon," Dr Seblani added.

"When I woke up and saw the damage that happened to Beirut, the one thing I said was thank God we are still alive."

After the blast, she and her husband tried to compose themselves and carry on with their celebrations.

"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,” Dr Seblani said.

Israa Seblani in her wedding dress as she hurries away in the aftermath of the Beirut blast.
Dr Seblani hurries away in the aftermath of the explosion that left her wedding venue extensively damaged. Mahmoud Nakib via Storyful

Mr Subeih recalls entering the damaged hotel on Wednesday to retrieve belongings and passports.

"The scene in the room was unbelievable," he said.

He is waiting for a visa to the United States so he can join his wife there.

Dr Seblani loves Lebanon, but feels that after Tuesday's blast, living there is not an option.

She is still trying to find joy in a wedding she took so long to prepare.

"There is a lot of damage, many people were killed and wounded. But also if I want to look at us, myself, my husband, the photographer – how we escaped unharmed, I thank God for protecting us,” the doctor said.

"This alone makes me feel optimistic and to keep the joy of the occasion that I came here to celebrate."

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