80-Year-Old Man Dies After Balcony Collapse on Jerusalem Bakery, Others Injured

A tragic accident occurred on Monday afternoon in Jerusalem's Rehavia neighborhood when a balcony collapsed onto an Angel Bakery branch. An 80-year-old man was rescued unconscious and in critical condition from the debris but later died at the scene. His wife, also around 80, and two teenage boys aged 16 and 17 sustained minor injuries.

Initial investigations revealed that an engineer had inspected the balcony earlier that day due to identified structural issues and had issued instructions, but the balcony collapsed hours later. The balcony was located on the second floor of a three-story residential building on KKL Street, causing significant damage to the building and the bakery on the ground floor.

Emergency services, including firefighters, Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah, and police, responded promptly. Civilians initially helped rescue two people trapped under the rubble before emergency teams extracted two more. Police officer Superintendent Moshe Ohayon stated that a criminal investigation into the incident has begun, while city engineers are assessing the building's safety.

The street was closed off by police, who also secured parts of the structure to prevent further collapse. Jerusalem Municipality dispatched a dangerous buildings team and the city engineer to evaluate the site and provide safety recommendations. The injured were taken to hospital for treatment, and authorities continue searching for any additional victims.