Four people were killed and some 90 others injured overnight Thursday in an apparent gas balloon explosion on the first floor of a building in central Netanya. The building partially collapsed on its residents.
Just minutes after midnight, emergency rescue crews, including Magen David Adom and Zaka ambulances, as well as firefighters responded to reports of a massive blast on Herzl Street, near Independence Square in downtown Netanya. The blast reportedly shook the city center. Witnesses described seeing a mushroom cloud and dust looming over the site of the explosion. Traces of gas were still lingering in the air as of Friday afternoon.
The circumstances of the incident remain unclear, but minutes after the blast police set up roadblocks and dispatched a helicopter that hovered over the site. Initial reports said the blast was caused by a gas balloon explosion, but police said late Thursday night that all angles were being investigated and that they weren't ruling out any options. By late Friday morning police were leaning towards the gas explosion theory, but were not yet certain what caused the building's gas balloons to explode.
The scale of destruction became apparent within a short time. The four-story building where the explosion occurred partly collapsed on its residents, as did some of the other adjacent buildings. Initial reports said at least three people were killed and nearly 90 others sustained varying degrees of injury.
At around 1:30 a.m. Home Front Command soldiers and rescuers arrived at the scene to survey the buildings that were damaged and to locate people who were injured or trapped. Many of the victims are French tourists visiting Israel for their summer vacation.
Police arrested two men in connection with the explosion. According to reports, one of the men is a gas company employee who allegedly inspected the building's gas tanks just hours before the blast, and the other suspect was allegedly seen loitering in the area before the blast. The suspects were arraigned Friday morning at the Petah Tivka District Court.
There were numerous eyewitnesses at the scene, one of whom described the blast as "a horrible explosion."
"People were hysterical, like after a terror attack or bombing," the witness said. "There is a huge mess here, and many buildings were severely damaged. People are crying due to the hysteria and pressure. I haven't seen such a sight in a long time."
Another witness said the entire building shook. "Now my children and I are trembling with fear."
Source: Israel Hayom
Read also: Remand of suspects in Netanya blast extended by 5 days
Please Pray!
