Priest flees in terror as Beirut blast rocks church during live-streamed mass

This footage from a religious ceremony being live-streamed from Beirut shows a priest running in terror as the huge explosion rocks the building.

The impact from the deadly blast was captured during a mass being broadcast in the Lebanese capital, according to Alhurra correspondent Steven Nabil.

It shows the lights behind the cleric going out as the church begins to rattle around him. Within seconds the detonation can be heard in the background as debris and stained glass windows begin to rain down from above. It is unclear how badly the priest or any of the parishioners were injured.

At least 100 people have been killed and more than 4,000 injured during the powerful warehouse explosion which shook the city.

The priest could be seen running as the shockwave from the blast rocked the church

Officials have not said what caused the initial blaze, but President Michel Aoun has blamed the explosion on the ‘unacceptable’ storage of 2,750 tonnes of ammonium nitrate without safety measures.

The port was still engulfed in flames hours after the blast, which struck shortly after 6pm local time.

George Kettaneh, the head of Lebanon’s Red Cross, told broadcaster Mayadeen: ‘What we are witnessing is a huge catastrophe.

‘There are victims and casualties everywhere.’

Footage of the explosion shared by residents on social media showed a column of smoke rising from the port, followed by an enormous blast, sending a white cloud and a fireball into the sky.

It struck with the force of a 3.5 magnitude earthquake, according to Germany’s geosciences centre GFZ, and was heard and felt as far away as Cyprus more than 180 miles across the Mediterranean.

The aftermath at the site of Tuesday’s blast (Picture: Reuters)

A drone picture shows the scene of an explosion at the seaport of Beirut, Lebanon (Picture: AP)

Those filming the incident from high buildings a mile from the port were thrown backwards by the shock.

Bleeding people were seen running and shouting for help in clouds of smoke and dust in streets littered with damaged buildings, flying debris, and wrecked cars and furniture.

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