The Jerusalem municipality has begun an investigation into the causes of the catastrophe. Initial findings show that the building\'s ceilings were constructed in a manner that has since been deemed unsafe. Maj. (res.) Sha\'ul Navo, an engineer in the IDF Home Front Command, said that four other cases of structural collapse have been registered in past years in Israeli buildings utilizing the same construction methods found in the Versailles Hall. Navo lamented that safety regulations and recommendations are often ignored.
The engineer who developed the method used to fashion the ceiling maintains that a supportive beam was removed during the course of renovation works, and that no floor could have held up under such circumstances. In addition, the building was not originally built as a wedding hall, but was rather re-classified as such about 12 years ago. Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert said that it remains to be carefully investigated whether the city authorities enforced the regulations as strenuously as they should have.
The engineer who developed the method used to fashion the ceiling maintains that a supportive beam was removed during the course of renovation works, and that no floor could have held up under such circumstances. In addition, the building was not originally built as a wedding hall, but was rather re-classified as such about 12 years ago. Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert said that it remains to be carefully investigated whether the city authorities enforced the regulations as strenuously as they should have.