A man believed to be around 80 years old lost his life Monday afternoon when a balcony crashed down onto a commercial property in Jerusalem’s Rehavia neighborhood. Three other people sustained minor injuries in the incident, which triggered a major rescue response and the closure of streets in the surrounding area.
Emergency medical teams from Magen David Adom were dispatched to Keren Kayemet LeIsrael Street at approximately 5:25 p.m. after calls came in reporting a partial building collapse and the possibility that people were buried under the rubble.
When rescue workers reached the man who had been trapped, emergency medical technicians and paramedics found no signs of life and noted that he had suffered severe trauma to multiple parts of his body. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Three additional victims were treated for light injuries and transported to Hadassah Ein Kerem and Shaare Zedek hospitals. Those injured included a woman also believed to be around 80 years old, along with a 16-year-old boy and a 16-year-old girl, both of whom suffered only minor scrapes and abrasions.
Firefighters and specialized rescue units cleared away debris and conducted a thorough search of the damaged structure to confirm no additional victims remained trapped. Engineers and emergency personnel also evaluated the rest of the building due to fears that further material could give way.
Police cordoned off the immediate area and blocked access to nearby streets, urging the public to stay clear so that emergency vehicles and crews could work without obstruction.
Early reports had described the incident as a general partial building collapse, but emergency officials later clarified that a balcony had specifically fallen onto a business below. Initial concerns that several people might still be trapped were revised downward as rescue teams worked their way through the debris.
As of Monday evening, authorities had not announced what caused the collapse. Investigators were expected to look into whether structural deterioration, ongoing renovation work, excessive weight, or another structural issue played a role in the incident.
Rehavia is a centrally located Jerusalem neighborhood home to older residential buildings, businesses, offices, and public institutions. The collapse snarled traffic along Keren Kayemet LeIsrael Street and surrounding roads while emergency crews held the safety perimeter in place.
Police and city officials were expected to continue assessing the building’s structural integrity and decide whether any portion of it needs to remain off-limits or be evacuated.
