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Oil Lamp on Church Altar Stays Lit Through Beirut Blast

The altar at St Dimitrios Greek Orthodox Church in the Achrafieh area of Beirut, Lebanon, was left untouched, including a burning oil lamp, when the deadly explosion rocked the city on August 4, reports said.

In an interview with the BBC, Father Youil Nassif said he had just left the church and was heading home when the blast hit. When he returned, he said he found destruction in the nave of the church, but everything in the altar behind the wall of icons was preserved, including an oil lamp that was still burning.

“I felt it was a message from God saying, ‘I will be by you. I will be by your side. We will rise up’,” Nassif said in the interview.

The blast in the Port of Beirut killed at least 163 people and injured over 6,000, according to local reports.

News reports said the Lebanese Prime Minister, Hassan Diab, announced his and his cabinet’s resignation on Monday, August 10, and called for early parliamentary elections after thousands of citizens took to the streets in protest against the government and economic failings of the country. Credit: St Dimitrios Greek Orthodox Church via Storyful