Four dead, dozens injured in Netanya building explosion

[azurnoir]

Four people were killed and over 88 were injured in a explosion early Friday morning in an apartment building in downtown Netanya. The circumstances surrounding the explosion are still unclear, but first estimates indicate that the damage was the result of a gas explosion.

Major damage was caused to the apartment building and to other nearby buildings on Herzl Street in Netanya's Independence Square, an area frequented by many tourists. The smell of gas continues to pervade the area.

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Police received a complaint on Thursday afternoon about a man suspiciously loitering close to the building's gas tanks. Police arrived and spoke to the man, but decided not to take him down to the station. After the explosion occurred, police arrested the man on suspicion of having tampered with the gas tanks.

After a number of the building's residents complained of the harsh smell of gas in the area of the building, employees of the company that supplies the gas tanks were called to the scene. The workers reported that they found no problem with the building's equipment, and they left the scene. A number of hours later, the explosion occurred.

http://www.haaretz.com/news/national/four-dead-dozens-injured-in-netanya-building-explosion-1.368126