Beirut: Mother Gets Baby During Explosion

The explosion in Beirut came as a surprise. At first it was just a small column of smoke that appeared in the sky and encouraged people to pull out their smartphones. On the videos created in the process, it can now be seen how a huge explosion develops from the supposedly harmless smoke – which results in kilometers of pressure waves.

At least 100 people were killed in the explosion of ammonium nitrate in Beirut. Edmond survived. He filmed the dramatic scenes. Because he was actually preparing for a completely different experience: His heavily pregnant wife Emmanuelle was being prepared for the birth of her child, for which Edmond pulled out his cell phone at St. George's Hospital in Beirut.

Birth during Beirut explosion

You can see his wife being pushed into another room. He wants to follow her – then comes the explosion. In the scenes you can watch how the pressure waves hit the hospital. Shatter window, Edmond escapes to his wife. But the room is destroyed. Then the phone is pointed downwards.

In the video, which the BBC has now published, the man reports on his experiences: "I was afraid that she or the baby could be injured," says Edmond from the hospital, because his wife "was covered with glass splinters". Edmond was able to save her from the room, after which she took care of doctors and nurses.

And they are lucky: just an hour and a half after the explosion, Emmanuelle gave birth to a healthy boy named George. "It was a normal birth," Edmond says. If it hadn't been for the explosion. The family members should all be well and now recover from the shock. You will never forget the birth of little George.