A new, silver Audi, decorated with curled ribbons and bows that was to have taken the newlyweds off on their honeymoon, was left in the parking lot.. A joyous wedding turned to tragedy when the top floor of a Jerusalem banqueting hall collapsed, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 300. Brick by brick, rescue workers dug for survivors today after a wedding turned into tragedy when the top floor of a Jerusalem banqueting hall collapsed, killing at least 19 people and injuring more than 300. Assi and Keren Sror had just become husband and wife, and werre dancing with their 600 guests when the floor of the Versailles wedding hall caved in last night. The newlyweds, their families and friends plunged three stories, as ceiling after ceiling buckled and crashed to the ground.An amateur video, being shot at the wedding, showed hundreds of people dancing happily and then suddenly disappearing in a cloud of dust and orange sparks as the floor collapsed.It is thought that there are still people trapped in the wrecked building and rescuers were given special dispensation to continue working after sundown - the start of the Jewish Sabbath."We were on people — those poor people," Tamar Revivo, 26, said from her hospital bed today, where she was being treated for a fractured right ankle "I'd see a hand I'd see a person. They tried to get me out and I had to walk on them."Sara Pinhas, a relative of the groom, said dancers had just lifted the father of the bride on a chair, a traditional part of the Jewish wedding celebration, when suddenly he fell, "and then we felt the whole building collapse, everything fell down.We managed to climb down the side of the building," she said.By this morning, at least 23 bodies had been pulled from the rubble, concrete slabs and twisted metal, according to Yehuda Meshi Zahav, head of a rescue volunteer group He said five bodies were found sitting around a table A couple died hugging each other.Maj Gen. Gabi Ofir, in charge of the rescue operation, said 309 people were taken to hospitals with injuries.
Hospital doctors said there were many children among them, including a 3–month–old.About 580 to 600 people were invited to the wedding, and another 50 to 55 workers were attending to them, Ofir said.Among the injured were the newlyweds Assi was treated for minor injuries and released. But Keren, carried out on a stretcher in her fluffy white dress, suffered hip and chest injuries and might need surgery, doctors said.Jerusalem police ruled out the possibility of a terror attack, saying the building collapsed due to structural failure.The Palestinian Authority sent its condolences to the Israeli government and offered to help with the rescue work. The gesture came at a time of bitter conflict between the two sides who have been trading accusations over who is responsibe for eight months of fighting that has killed 475 people on the Palestinian side and 86 on the Israeli side.In new violence today, a Palestinian truck drove at high speed toward an Israeli roadblock in the Gaza Strip and exploded under Israeli fire. The Islamic militant group Hamas claimed responsibility for what it said was a suicide attack marking the anniversary of Israel's withdrawal from Lebanon.In Jerusalem, rescue workers aided by German shepherds searched for survivors and removed bodies from the rubble, carrying them on stretchers covered with blankets.
Ofir said four people were rescued after several hours, and that rescue efforts would continue for at least four or five days."We expect there are people alive under the rubble," Ofir said Friday.Rescue officials appealed for blood donations through the week.Relatives, desperately seeking news of their loved ones, gathered at the scene in front of Jerusalem hospitals seeking news. "Frieda, Dudu!" one man shouted, searching for his wife and brother.The special Israeli army rescue unit that has been sent abroad in the past to dig out earthquake victims in India and Turkey was working at the scene.Soldiers in yellow helmets used bulldozers, cranes and conveyer belt to pull out the larger pieces of rubble and metal shards from the cavernous hole, but the mounds of debris were so unstable they tumbled at the touch of heavy machinery."I've been here since midnight, and all I've been doing is carrying out bodies," said rescue worker Yaakov Cohen, a member of an ultra–Orthodox Jewish group that collects remains after terrorist attacks.The wedding was taking place on the top floor of the building, and the two floors below were not being used. Under them, the bottom floor was a parking garage.Public Security Minister Uzi Landau said a committee of experts would be formed to investigate the cause. Taysir Ahmed el–Hadj told Israel television that he had done renovation work on the third floor, changing floor tiles. It was not clear if the renovations contributed to the collapse.Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert said the building was constructed in 1986. He said his preliminary examination of the building file disclosed findings "that trouble me very much." He did not give details but suggested a criminal investigation may be required "This is a bad morning for Jerusalem," he said Friday.
