Two people were killed and six others injured when a scaffolding collapsed at a construction site in Ramat Gan on Thursday evening.
The incident occurred between Eshel and Krinitzi streets in the nearby city of Tel Aviv shortly after 1 pm when workers were working on the site of a seven-story building, according to police and first responders.
Among the injured, one was in a serious condition, while the others were in a moderate condition. Paramedics took the injured to Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan and Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.
First responders at the scene, including from Magen David Adom and the Fire and Rescue Services, had to work to locate and evacuate some of the workers who had been buried under the scaffolding following the disaster.
United Hatzalah volunteers who arrived at the scene said those involved in the incident said a crane on the site hit the scaffolding, causing it to fall.
Police said their special investigation unit Lahav 433 would investigate the incident.
First responders at the site of a scaffold collapse in Ramat Gan on March 16, 2023. (United Hatzalah)
Such construction site accidents are not uncommon in Israel, and watchdog groups complain of little supervision and dangerous working conditions.
In mid-February, a man was killed when he fell from a collapsed scaffolding on the eighth floor of a construction site in the coastal city of Netanya. A week earlier, two construction workers were killed in Ashdod when a wall collapsed on them during electrical cable infrastructure work.
In January, a construction worker was killed by a collapsed wall at a site in the city center of Bnei Brak and a week earlier, two construction workers were killed within minutes of each other in accidents at separate locations.
