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Wedding Hall Collapses In Jerusalem
WASHINGTON, May 25 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Thirty people have been killed and over 300 injured in Jerusalem after a crowded wedding reception hall collapsed in Jerusalem, said Israeli police.
Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert said that hundreds of people were in the building when its roof collapsed onto the top floor of the building, causing the four-story structure to collapse through to its basement.
"This is a major disaster. I don't think we have anything similar in the state of Israel, and certainly not in the city of Jerusalem," he said.
A police commander said that the number of the people who were attending the wedding reception in the hall was between 700 and 1,400, but the exact number was unclear.
"We believe that some maybe are still under the wreckage here, and the special units of the army are starting work in order to move the wreckage in order to rescue all those that are still left here," Olmert said.
According to Olmert, investigators inside the building had found that the collapse was not caused by a bomb or "terrorist" act. Police said that the disaster appeared to be caused by a structural failure.
"People were flying through the air, the orchestra, the loudspeakers. Everything fell," said Efraim Rino, one of the victims' relatives.
Police brought in welders to cut through steel supports to bring out the victims. Rescuers searched the rubble with flashlights, digging with their hands amid warnings that the ruins of the reception hall were too unstable to allow heavy machinery.
A relative of the groom, Sara Pinhas, said that the dancers had lifted the bride's father on a chair when he suddenly fell.
"Then we felt the whole building collapse, everything fell down. We managed to climb down the side of the building," said Pinhas.
Tsion Dror, the bride's father, his leg in a cast said that the groom and bride were not seriously injured and that the bride was taken to a hospital in downtown Jerusalem.
Israeli radio broadcast appealed to all ambulances in the country to report to the scene and to hospital workers in Jerusalem to come to work immediately.
The hall which is in the Talpiot industrial area in southeast Jerusalem, hosts other large events such as discos and the district is home to a number of nightclubs.
An amateur video broadcast into Israeli homes on Friday showed the terrifying collapse.
As dusk approached over Jerusalem, rescuers continued their grim search, while Israeli police said they had arrested eight people in connection with the nation's worst-ever civil disaster.
"Those arrested include four owners, an engineer, a building contractor and two others involved," police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby told AFP. "They will be held until we decide whether or not they should go to court."
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon expressed deep sorrow over the incident and vowed to get to the bottom of what he said was a "national disaster," with more than 300 people also injured.
Olmert said he "suspected" building regulations had been violated at the building known as the Versailles Hall.
The video showed dozens of people plummet suddenly through the collapsing floor as they danced Thursday night at the wedding of Assi and Keren Dror, who were both hurt, Keren suffering pelvic injuries.
Others frantically ran screaming about what remained of the floor, some clutching children and rushing them out of harm's way. One woman wailed with her head in her hands, while two teenage boys hugged each other in shock.
Around the gaping hole, wedding tables remained elegantly set with plates, glasses, silverware and flowers, although debris, which had flown through the air as the floor shattered, was scattered about the hall.
An army official at the site said at least 30 were dead and many more could still be buried under the ruins.
Gabi Ofir, commander of the home front, a specialist Israeli rescue unit that has sent squads to earthquake zones, described the disaster as "the greatest tragedy of its kind in Israel's history.
"Searches will last at least five days and perhaps a week," said Ofir. "From past experience, we are very hopeful of finding survivors during this time," adding that four people had been pulled out alive.
Israel public television reported that the building was constructed with a type of floor and ceiling known as Pal Kal, which Israel's National Building Research Institute has said, "do not meet certain basic engineering standards and are dangerous to the public."
The television also reported that the Versailles management had pillars removed to increase the size of their dance floor, while the business located on the level below had knocked down a support wall during renovations.
The Palestinian leadership, locked in a deadly eight-month conflict with Israel, offered its condolences and said instructions had been issued to offer assistance in rescue operations.
Wedding guest Sarah Pinhas said: "We were eating the hors-d'oeuvres when I saw the bride's father, who was dancing, suddenly disappear. There was a huge noise, and the floor suddenly opened up, creating a huge hole."
The groom's mother, Alice Dror - who said her father, brother, and sister-in-law are presumed to be dead - called for those responsible to be punished.
The wailing of the ambulance sirens mixed with that of friends and relatives waiting outside for news of their loved ones. In the early hours, hundreds of anxious bystanders crushed into the area, in some cases impeding rescue work.
The Israeli Red Cross, the Magen David Adom, said a total of 309 injured survivors had been taken to hospital, 16 of whom were in serious condition.
Rescue workers, including a special unit of troops, were working with their bare hands for fear of provoking a further collapse.
"This whole operation is extremely dangerous, we have to worry about the safety of our people," a home guard officer told AFP as engineers stood precariously on a twisted metal staircase outside the building that was later torn down to aid rescue efforts.
The scene was still one of chaos, with injured being evacuated, sniffer dogs searching for bodies trapped under the debris and rescue workers carrying out piles of rubble in plastic bags.
Some media reports said initial investigations showed that supporting columns had been removed during renovations of the hall, and that the hall's owners had been subject to a recent lawsuit charging negligent management.
The collapse of the Versailles ballroom was the worst accident in Israel since 73 soldiers were killed on February 4, 1997, in the collision of two air force helicopters that were taking them to south Lebanon.
Five months later, four Australian athletes were killed and some 70 people injured when a bridge collapsed during the opening ceremony of the Maccabia Games, or Jewish Olympics.
Five men, including the bridge builder and engineer, were convicted for negligence causing death.
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