A church service that was being live-streamed due to the coronavirus lockdown has shown the magnitude of the explosion that rocked Beirut on Sunday evening.
The Lebanese capital was decimated when a portside warehouse containing ammonium nitrate used for fertiliser exploded leaving 125 people dead, 5000 seriously injured and a damage bill estimated at $3 billion.
The footage shows an unnamed priest delivering a televised sermon at the parish of St Maron Baouchrieh.
The priest initially continued as the blast’s shockwave hit the church and the lights and candles go out.
Seconds later, a loud blast sent parts of the ceiling raining down – with the priest sprinting away as the camera toppled from the violent shaking of the building. Thankfully, there were no people in the church due to lockdown isolation.
Check out confronting footage below:
The parish of St Maron Baouchrieh later shared photos of the aftermath, saying all the windows were smashed and even the iron door was ripped off during the blast. Check out some of the images:
