Magen David Adom (MDA) released this evening (Monday) the first emergency call received by its dispatch center reporting the tragedy at a Jerusalem daycare in which two infants died and another 53 were injured.
In the call, a man can be heard reporting: “Send a mobile intensive care unit to HaMaggid Street in Jerusalem. One infant is in serious condition and another is undergoing resuscitation."
The dispatcher responds in surprise: “Another infant needs resuscitation?" Shortly afterward, another caller reports a similar incident, noting the ages of the infants undergoing resuscitation and that they were found in the same building.
The assessment is that the infants’ breathing was compromised after what appears to have been the release of a chemical substance from a heating device. Fire and Rescue Services stated that the daycare was located in a complex of illegal private daycare centers in a building on HaMaggid Street in the Romema neighborhood. “The younger infant was attending the daycare for the first time. Both infants were sleeping in a separate bedroom at the time of the incident," Fire and Rescue said.
Jerusalem District Fire Commander, Chief Superintendent Shmulik Friedman, ordered the establishment of a special emergency team to examine the circumstances of the unusual incident. It was noted that carbon monoxide is a toxic, colorless, and odorless gas that can be dangerous, especially in poorly ventilated spaces.
Police detained three of the caregivers at the daycare complex for questioning. Officials from the Ministry of Education said, “The daycare is not known to us and has never been granted a license."
Avi Hovav, Director of the Jerusalem region at MDA, spoke with Arutz Sheva at the scene and said: “We received a report of two infants who were not feeling well at a daycare located in a residential building. We arrived and found two four-month-old infants in serious condition. We examined and treated the other children as well and evacuated them to hospitals."