ארכיון
ארכיוןצילום: דוברות מד"א

A woman of about 50 was killed night Monday night after a large chandelier fell from the ceiling of the Adiah events hall on Shidlovsky street in Yavne during a wedding. 

Paramedics and Magen David Adom (MDA) medics provided medical care to 21 wounded, all of whom were evacuated to Tel Hashomer Hospital, Kaplan hospital, and Assaf HaRofeh hospital, including on 30-year old man with moderate head injuries and some 20 people with cuts and bruises. 

"When I arrived I came across dozens of terrified guests," Yoni Uziahu, a volunteer for United Hatzalah, stated to Arutz Sheva Tuesday morning. "Some of them suffered injuries and bruises due to the lighting fixture, which for an unknown reason fell on guests in the hall." 

"Unfortunately, one of the participants suffered a direct hit and was fatally injured," he continued, noting, he, "along with other volunteers, tried to save her life."

"We were forced to declare her dead at the scene, and this hall of celebration became a terrible scene of disaster." 

"There was a great commotion, some of the wounded were walking and some were lying at the center of the hall and the people there were terrified and tried to extricate themselves," MDA medic Mike Perez said. "One of them was unconscious with no pulse and was not breathing. Immediately we began to perform CPR on her and give her medical care and life-saving efforts; unfortunately, we had to declare her dead at the scene." 

Gila Levi, the mother of the groom, thought the attack was a terror attack. 

"I heard a bang, I thought that it was the plates of the hall," she told Walla! News. "[Then] something fell, and suddenly I see darkness, then blood, people on the ground. I experienced a terrorist attack, that was it."

"No one understood what had happened at that moment, everyone looked for their loved ones, everyone was screaming, helpless, nobody could find anyone," she continued. "To see destruction like this on my son's wedding day. This feeling of helplessness - I'm still shocked." 

Approximately 800 guests were attending the wedding at the time, Levi added. 

Following the incident, the police briefly detained the two owners of the hall for questioning, contrary to early reports saying they were arrested, according to Channel 2. The hall will also not be closed for 30 days, despite earlier reports to that extent, but a hearing will be held on its future later Tuesday. 

"Our hearts are with the families in these difficult moments," the owners stated Tuesday. Their lawyer noted that the two have been cooperating with police. 

"My clients have nothing to hide, they sent police all the data and documents, including the construction engineer certificate confirming the safety of the establishment and the lighting fixture which collapsed," he said, noting that police gave the hall the permits to operate the business there. 

Later Tuesday, Levi told Channel 2 she is not angry at the wedding hall owners. 

"I don't even have a second's worth of anger," she insisted. "They are law-abiding people, they own many businesses in the city, they are fair and straightforward people."