6 sept 2016
While search and rescue forces are still working to locate three missing people, police have made the first arrest in the investigation of the subterranean parking structure collapse; a gag order has been placed on the identity of the arrested individual as well as the entire investigation.
Police made the first arrest Tuesday evening in the case surrounding the collapse of the underground parking lot in Tel Aviv which left 3 dead, dozens injured and five missing. The arrest comes just a day-and-a-half after the collapse as rescue forces continue in their efforts to locate three people that are still missing.
A gag order has been imposed on the details of the investigation, including the identity of the arrested individual.
Another body was pulled from the rubble Tuesday afternoon after rescue teams continued their search throughout the night. However, three people remain trapped—two residents of Acre and a Palestinian from the Dawabsheh family.
Rescue forces still believe it is possible to reach the trapped people. Lt. Sami Yehezkel, one of the commanders of rescue teams at the scene, said, "We are working with all the forces of the Homefront Command to reach those trapped. We are working at a number of locations we identified at the start through intelligence. This leads us to the most relevant places first."
"We are working with heavy equipment and all the means of the Homefront Command. We have the best methods in the world based on our unfortunately extensive experience in Israel and abroad," he continued. "Until proven otherwise, we are treating all of those trapped as still alive. We are operating at peak energy and professionalism and are ready to work 24/7 to find those still trapped."
Social workers and psychologists gathered Tuesday morning with the relatives of those still trapped to offer support and counseling. Jewish and Palestinian families both sat on benches in waiting rooms anxiously awaiting news on the statuses of their loved ones.
Yana Mashalov, the wife of Oleg Mashalov, who is still missing, said "My husband always said it was dangerous there. Two days ago, an elevator fell."
Police made the first arrest Tuesday evening in the case surrounding the collapse of the underground parking lot in Tel Aviv which left 3 dead, dozens injured and five missing. The arrest comes just a day-and-a-half after the collapse as rescue forces continue in their efforts to locate three people that are still missing.
A gag order has been imposed on the details of the investigation, including the identity of the arrested individual.
Another body was pulled from the rubble Tuesday afternoon after rescue teams continued their search throughout the night. However, three people remain trapped—two residents of Acre and a Palestinian from the Dawabsheh family.
Rescue forces still believe it is possible to reach the trapped people. Lt. Sami Yehezkel, one of the commanders of rescue teams at the scene, said, "We are working with all the forces of the Homefront Command to reach those trapped. We are working at a number of locations we identified at the start through intelligence. This leads us to the most relevant places first."
"We are working with heavy equipment and all the means of the Homefront Command. We have the best methods in the world based on our unfortunately extensive experience in Israel and abroad," he continued. "Until proven otherwise, we are treating all of those trapped as still alive. We are operating at peak energy and professionalism and are ready to work 24/7 to find those still trapped."
Social workers and psychologists gathered Tuesday morning with the relatives of those still trapped to offer support and counseling. Jewish and Palestinian families both sat on benches in waiting rooms anxiously awaiting news on the statuses of their loved ones.
Yana Mashalov, the wife of Oleg Mashalov, who is still missing, said "My husband always said it was dangerous there. Two days ago, an elevator fell."
Work continued throughout the night to locate and rescue survivors from a building collapse in the Ramat Hahayal neighborhood in Tel Aviv; so far, three victims have been pulled from the rubble, while more are feared trapped underneath.
Another body was found in the rubble of the collapsed building site in Tel Aviv in the early hours of Tuesday morning, bringing the body count to three.
Meanwhile a frantic search is still being carried out by rescuers to locate four missing persons. Hundreds of IDF Homefront Command search and rescue services are working around the clock to find them. Twenty-three people have been injured, and most of them have already been released from the hospital.
Over 500 IDF Homefront Command soldiers and officers are working around the clock to locate the missing construction workers. The IDF reported that they are working to extricate the body from the rubble. "We are in the golden hour," said Lt. Col. Yair Pinto of the Ram unit of the IDF Homefront Command. "We have another 12-14 hours (before the probability of finding survivors greatly diminishes), therefore we're putting in the maximum efforts we can."
At one point four hours after the building collapse, rescue services received a phone call from one of the people trapped underneath the rubble. Lt. Col. Yonatan Raz of the IDF Homefront Command said that "there was indeed a call, but it was cut off. We don't know if the trapped man has enough battery."
"We are still trying to find people alive in the collapse. We believe that there is always a chance of finding someone alive," said Lt. Col. Pinto.
"We won't leave until we find everyone, and we hope they'll be alive… the ones who were alive were on the upper levels, so it was easier to find and save them. The issue now is getting down to the first level, which is where several of the victims are."
Head of the IDF Homefront Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick said that " (we have) the best rescue personnel and with our experience – it can be seen here. We will not give up on our mission, and we will continue to be here for as long as necessary."
The head of the IDF Search and Rescue Unit, Lt. Col. (ret.) Dudi Mizrachi added "we will work until we pull the last victim out of the rubble."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the disaster site, deciding to go there as opposed to the European qualifying soccer match between Israel and Italy, and before a state visit to The Netherlands.
Netanyahu said "the (rescue operation) is of the highest quality, and the objective is to save human life. I think that we will learn a lot of lessons here, some of which have already been learned and implemented. We are not sparing any effort to save these people. We know where they are, and I hope and pray that we will reach them on time."
Building collapse could have been prevented
In a 2013 interview, the CEO of the company building the parking garage spoke about how he was able to save 2–3% on building costs by using an architect as opposed to an engineer; engineers suggest that this was the deadly decision which led to its collapse.
A giant pile of dust stands where just Monday stood a four-story underground parking complex, close to completion, and slated to soon be opened to the public. It appears, though, that this collapse in Tel Aviv could have been prevented.
In 2012, Africa Israel won the contract from the Tel Aviv Municipality to build the parking garage next to Assuta Hospital. Yet before construction even began in 2014, the CEO of Danya Cebus, the subsidiary company carrying out the construction, Ronen Ginsburg, described in a 2013 interview how the company was chosen to carry out the project. He explained to the Calcalist, Ynet's sister publication. that they chose to use an architect rather than an engineer to save money.
"For the project to construct this new public parking structure in Ramat Hahayal in Tel Aviv, which we were chosen to build, we decided that an architect will be the general manager," Ginsburg said. "He understands problems with planning, environment, and others, and is able to solve these problems faster than an engineer—who is basically a construction worker whose only responsibility is to make sure that the building won't collapse."
Ginsburg explained that by using an architect instead of an engineer, "we have already reduced the building costs by 2 to 3%. By doing this when constructing apartments, it's also possible to save 2 to 3% on building costs."
For the parking garage, this meant that the company was able to save approximately two million shekels.
The decision to use an architect as opposed to an engineer is completely legal, and there have been many building projects which saw architects manage construction. The number of construction managers in Israel has exploded, and while many other countries require special training to become a construction manager, anyone with an engineering degree or architecture degree is able to be a construction manager on complex projects.
A veteran engineer said on Monday that the way that the skeleton of parking garages are built is critical, and therefore, the decision not to use an engineer to manage construction was especially problematic. On top of this, there have been many government decisions as of late to further cut down on the number of engineering supervisors due to requests by the Israeli construction worker's union. The Engineer's Association has warned that this may lead to disasters.
"We request that engineers supervise any and all engineering project," said Chairman of the Engineer's Association Danny Marian. "These (government) exemptions reduce the ability of companies to deal with projects where there is a high level of danger for the construction workers."
Israel David, Acting Chairman of the Engineer's Association explained, "Half of the work for a parking structure is on the skeleton, which should be managed by an engineer. The second half—the finishing work—should be handled by an architect. When the project was started, there was a shortage of engineers in the country, and therefore, it was cheaper to use an architect (on the project)."
Africa Israel responded by saying, "Ginsburg's attitude highlights the importance the company has in increasing to supervisory procedures, along with the supervising architect who acted as the chief supervisor on the project. The company will do everything in its power to assist the relevant authorities in an investigation. The company expresses its deep sorrow over the tragic deaths, and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded."
The parking garage was supposed to hold up to 540 vehicles—and a greater tragedy could have occurred had the structure been open to the public. The Tel Aviv Municipality was to have operated and financed the structure for 20 years.
An investigation was already opened on Monday, and investigations into high-ranking officials within the company have already begun.
Another body was found in the rubble of the collapsed building site in Tel Aviv in the early hours of Tuesday morning, bringing the body count to three.
Meanwhile a frantic search is still being carried out by rescuers to locate four missing persons. Hundreds of IDF Homefront Command search and rescue services are working around the clock to find them. Twenty-three people have been injured, and most of them have already been released from the hospital.
Over 500 IDF Homefront Command soldiers and officers are working around the clock to locate the missing construction workers. The IDF reported that they are working to extricate the body from the rubble. "We are in the golden hour," said Lt. Col. Yair Pinto of the Ram unit of the IDF Homefront Command. "We have another 12-14 hours (before the probability of finding survivors greatly diminishes), therefore we're putting in the maximum efforts we can."
At one point four hours after the building collapse, rescue services received a phone call from one of the people trapped underneath the rubble. Lt. Col. Yonatan Raz of the IDF Homefront Command said that "there was indeed a call, but it was cut off. We don't know if the trapped man has enough battery."
"We are still trying to find people alive in the collapse. We believe that there is always a chance of finding someone alive," said Lt. Col. Pinto.
"We won't leave until we find everyone, and we hope they'll be alive… the ones who were alive were on the upper levels, so it was easier to find and save them. The issue now is getting down to the first level, which is where several of the victims are."
Head of the IDF Homefront Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick said that " (we have) the best rescue personnel and with our experience – it can be seen here. We will not give up on our mission, and we will continue to be here for as long as necessary."
The head of the IDF Search and Rescue Unit, Lt. Col. (ret.) Dudi Mizrachi added "we will work until we pull the last victim out of the rubble."
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived at the disaster site, deciding to go there as opposed to the European qualifying soccer match between Israel and Italy, and before a state visit to The Netherlands.
Netanyahu said "the (rescue operation) is of the highest quality, and the objective is to save human life. I think that we will learn a lot of lessons here, some of which have already been learned and implemented. We are not sparing any effort to save these people. We know where they are, and I hope and pray that we will reach them on time."
Building collapse could have been prevented
In a 2013 interview, the CEO of the company building the parking garage spoke about how he was able to save 2–3% on building costs by using an architect as opposed to an engineer; engineers suggest that this was the deadly decision which led to its collapse.
A giant pile of dust stands where just Monday stood a four-story underground parking complex, close to completion, and slated to soon be opened to the public. It appears, though, that this collapse in Tel Aviv could have been prevented.
In 2012, Africa Israel won the contract from the Tel Aviv Municipality to build the parking garage next to Assuta Hospital. Yet before construction even began in 2014, the CEO of Danya Cebus, the subsidiary company carrying out the construction, Ronen Ginsburg, described in a 2013 interview how the company was chosen to carry out the project. He explained to the Calcalist, Ynet's sister publication. that they chose to use an architect rather than an engineer to save money.
"For the project to construct this new public parking structure in Ramat Hahayal in Tel Aviv, which we were chosen to build, we decided that an architect will be the general manager," Ginsburg said. "He understands problems with planning, environment, and others, and is able to solve these problems faster than an engineer—who is basically a construction worker whose only responsibility is to make sure that the building won't collapse."
Ginsburg explained that by using an architect instead of an engineer, "we have already reduced the building costs by 2 to 3%. By doing this when constructing apartments, it's also possible to save 2 to 3% on building costs."
For the parking garage, this meant that the company was able to save approximately two million shekels.
The decision to use an architect as opposed to an engineer is completely legal, and there have been many building projects which saw architects manage construction. The number of construction managers in Israel has exploded, and while many other countries require special training to become a construction manager, anyone with an engineering degree or architecture degree is able to be a construction manager on complex projects.
A veteran engineer said on Monday that the way that the skeleton of parking garages are built is critical, and therefore, the decision not to use an engineer to manage construction was especially problematic. On top of this, there have been many government decisions as of late to further cut down on the number of engineering supervisors due to requests by the Israeli construction worker's union. The Engineer's Association has warned that this may lead to disasters.
"We request that engineers supervise any and all engineering project," said Chairman of the Engineer's Association Danny Marian. "These (government) exemptions reduce the ability of companies to deal with projects where there is a high level of danger for the construction workers."
Israel David, Acting Chairman of the Engineer's Association explained, "Half of the work for a parking structure is on the skeleton, which should be managed by an engineer. The second half—the finishing work—should be handled by an architect. When the project was started, there was a shortage of engineers in the country, and therefore, it was cheaper to use an architect (on the project)."
Africa Israel responded by saying, "Ginsburg's attitude highlights the importance the company has in increasing to supervisory procedures, along with the supervising architect who acted as the chief supervisor on the project. The company will do everything in its power to assist the relevant authorities in an investigation. The company expresses its deep sorrow over the tragic deaths, and wishes a speedy recovery to the wounded."
The parking garage was supposed to hold up to 540 vehicles—and a greater tragedy could have occurred had the structure been open to the public. The Tel Aviv Municipality was to have operated and financed the structure for 20 years.
An investigation was already opened on Monday, and investigations into high-ranking officials within the company have already begun.
5 sept 2016
Two people trapped in the rubble were located four hours after a subterranean parking lot in Ramat Hahayal collapsed; the trapped individuals, who could be heard screaming beneath the debris, were found with the help if the IDF's dog unit and the Homefront Command; emergency services are on the scene and searching for several missing; two have died so far and 27 are injured.
A four-level subterranean parking lot in a building site on HaBarzel Street in the Ramat Hahayal neighborhood of Tel Aviv collapsed Monday morning. At least two persons have been killed while several are said to be missing and 23 were injured.
Emergency services and rescue teams were immediately called to the scene to recover the injured and missing buried in the rubble. Four hours after the collapse, two people, who could be heard screaming beneath the carnage, were located and extricated with the help of the IDF's dog unit and the Homefront Command. The two were reported to be fully conscious and were able to communicate with the rescue teams. They were evacuated in moderate condition to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv and Tel HaShomer in Ramat Gan.
Twenty-three persons are said to be in fair condition, and five have already been discharged. They have all been brought to area hospitals.
A spokesman from the police said to Ynet, "Several floors of the building collapsed. There's a danger of an additional collapse of both the building and the surrounding area because of the pit that was created by the collapse."
Firefighters and police were also called to the scene to aid in the rescue effort. Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv prepared to receive the injured.
In addition, some 120 soldiers from the Homefront Command, including the Shahar, Ram and Tavor Brigades and the command's reserves search-and-rescue unit arrived with advanced equipment to assist with which the trapped persons were located. GOC Homefront Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick himself came to the scene, along with Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh.
The building site belongs to the companies Danya Cebus and Isael Africa. Sources in Tel Aviv Municipality stated that the affected parking lot is Ahuzot Hof, a subsidiary of the municipality. According to the city, the garage is supposed to have four levels constructed with an area of 17,000 square meters. The project began in November 2014 and was supposed to reach completion at the beginning of 2017.
Yoram Levy, a spokesman for the Firefighting and Rescue Commission, updated, "There are people who are buried under the sand. We've called on every possible team. More than 60 firefighters have reached the scene. We've begun with manual work. We've asked for help from the Homefront Command in light of the situation. We had a house collapse in Acre a few years ago, and it took a long time to clear it out."
The Israel Police asked the public to clear the surrounding area to permit the security forces freer movement. They also expressed that there is a danger that further parts of the site might collapse.
Worker: 'We said the buidling would collapse'
Workers at the construction site which collapsed in Tel Aviv on Monday morning, leaving 2 people dead, claim that they warned that the site could collapse; 'We felt the ground shaking. Within an hour, the whole place collapsed.'
Before the dust has even fully settled following the collapse of a four-level subterranean parking lot in a building site on HaBarzel Street in the Ramat Hahayal neighborhood of Tel Aviv Monday morning, questions have begun to surface about whether it was avoidable.
According to the manager of the construction site, the collapse—which left at least two people dead, at least five missing and 23 injured— workers had already raised concerns about the safety of the site.
“In the morning when we were at the site and began working there was a machine which cleaning the floor and every time it passed us we felt the ground shaking a little. It didn’t seem right,” said Mika Levine, manager of the construction site. “I also told the manager of the projects that it didn’t feel healthy the way it was shaking. Not even an hour past before the whole building collapsed in the center.”
The search for several missing individuals is still ongoing at the scene and the police have already begun investigating workers from the company and are expected to conduct further investigations in the coming hours. A gag order has been issued on the details of the investigation.
Mohammed, one of the workers at the site also said: “I said it would collapse. I have worked in this field for 20 years already. The tractors were working and there was shaking. I told the people who understand construction,” Mohammed claimed. “I am just a small cog in the machine and there are many consultants. We were supposed to have a project meeting at 10am this morning but it was rescheduled to 2pm and what happened happened.”
Another worker who was injured in the collapse added, “I am angry, There are people who have been killed, friends of all of us with whom we worked together. There are people missing. I wasn’t scared to come to work but I thought that this was something that could happen.”
One builder dies, others wounded in Tel Aviv building collapse
One workman died and about 20 others suffered different injuries after a building under construction collapsed on Monday in Tel Aviv city.
The Israeli police say five people are still missing and believed to be trapped under the debris.
A police spokesperson affirmed that dozens of workmen were inside a multi-level parking garage under construction when it collapsed, without stating the nationalities of the victims.
There are fears that those victims could be Palestinians since there are thousands of them working in the construction field in Israeli areas.
Israel ignores appeals made by trade units to provide builders with safety means to protect them against work-related injuries, which happen frequently to them.
A four-level subterranean parking lot in a building site on HaBarzel Street in the Ramat Hahayal neighborhood of Tel Aviv collapsed Monday morning. At least two persons have been killed while several are said to be missing and 23 were injured.
Emergency services and rescue teams were immediately called to the scene to recover the injured and missing buried in the rubble. Four hours after the collapse, two people, who could be heard screaming beneath the carnage, were located and extricated with the help of the IDF's dog unit and the Homefront Command. The two were reported to be fully conscious and were able to communicate with the rescue teams. They were evacuated in moderate condition to Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv and Tel HaShomer in Ramat Gan.
Twenty-three persons are said to be in fair condition, and five have already been discharged. They have all been brought to area hospitals.
A spokesman from the police said to Ynet, "Several floors of the building collapsed. There's a danger of an additional collapse of both the building and the surrounding area because of the pit that was created by the collapse."
Firefighters and police were also called to the scene to aid in the rescue effort. Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv prepared to receive the injured.
In addition, some 120 soldiers from the Homefront Command, including the Shahar, Ram and Tavor Brigades and the command's reserves search-and-rescue unit arrived with advanced equipment to assist with which the trapped persons were located. GOC Homefront Command Maj. Gen. Yoel Strick himself came to the scene, along with Israel Police Commissioner Roni Alsheikh.
The building site belongs to the companies Danya Cebus and Isael Africa. Sources in Tel Aviv Municipality stated that the affected parking lot is Ahuzot Hof, a subsidiary of the municipality. According to the city, the garage is supposed to have four levels constructed with an area of 17,000 square meters. The project began in November 2014 and was supposed to reach completion at the beginning of 2017.
Yoram Levy, a spokesman for the Firefighting and Rescue Commission, updated, "There are people who are buried under the sand. We've called on every possible team. More than 60 firefighters have reached the scene. We've begun with manual work. We've asked for help from the Homefront Command in light of the situation. We had a house collapse in Acre a few years ago, and it took a long time to clear it out."
The Israel Police asked the public to clear the surrounding area to permit the security forces freer movement. They also expressed that there is a danger that further parts of the site might collapse.
Worker: 'We said the buidling would collapse'
Workers at the construction site which collapsed in Tel Aviv on Monday morning, leaving 2 people dead, claim that they warned that the site could collapse; 'We felt the ground shaking. Within an hour, the whole place collapsed.'
Before the dust has even fully settled following the collapse of a four-level subterranean parking lot in a building site on HaBarzel Street in the Ramat Hahayal neighborhood of Tel Aviv Monday morning, questions have begun to surface about whether it was avoidable.
According to the manager of the construction site, the collapse—which left at least two people dead, at least five missing and 23 injured— workers had already raised concerns about the safety of the site.
“In the morning when we were at the site and began working there was a machine which cleaning the floor and every time it passed us we felt the ground shaking a little. It didn’t seem right,” said Mika Levine, manager of the construction site. “I also told the manager of the projects that it didn’t feel healthy the way it was shaking. Not even an hour past before the whole building collapsed in the center.”
The search for several missing individuals is still ongoing at the scene and the police have already begun investigating workers from the company and are expected to conduct further investigations in the coming hours. A gag order has been issued on the details of the investigation.
Mohammed, one of the workers at the site also said: “I said it would collapse. I have worked in this field for 20 years already. The tractors were working and there was shaking. I told the people who understand construction,” Mohammed claimed. “I am just a small cog in the machine and there are many consultants. We were supposed to have a project meeting at 10am this morning but it was rescheduled to 2pm and what happened happened.”
Another worker who was injured in the collapse added, “I am angry, There are people who have been killed, friends of all of us with whom we worked together. There are people missing. I wasn’t scared to come to work but I thought that this was something that could happen.”
One builder dies, others wounded in Tel Aviv building collapse
One workman died and about 20 others suffered different injuries after a building under construction collapsed on Monday in Tel Aviv city.
The Israeli police say five people are still missing and believed to be trapped under the debris.
A police spokesperson affirmed that dozens of workmen were inside a multi-level parking garage under construction when it collapsed, without stating the nationalities of the victims.
There are fears that those victims could be Palestinians since there are thousands of them working in the construction field in Israeli areas.
Israel ignores appeals made by trade units to provide builders with safety means to protect them against work-related injuries, which happen frequently to them.
