The safety engineer for the Meron revelry and the safety consultant, who were detained yesterday for questioning, told police investigators, among other things: "The responsibility for the disaster lies with the police.".
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According to the new procedure formulated by the Attorney General, the investigation of the two will be transferred to the Police Investigation Department.
Investigators from the economic unit at Lahav 433 showed up at the two's home and detained them for questioning. This is a private office that the police used to sort out the safety deficiencies on Mount Meron.
According to a report this morning (Tuesday) by Israel Hayom reporters Itzik Saban and Hanan Greenwood, during their interrogation, the two detailed their role in the preparations for the Meron festivities, and according to a source familiar with the investigation, they shifted the blame onto the police: "The disaster was not caused by safety deficiencies that were known to everyone, nor by negligence on our part. The disaster was caused solely because the police ignored professionals, who themselves legally required the organizers to use their services.".
The two said that they had already submitted a report of the defects found to the police on April 25. According to documents being revealed here for the first time, as early as January, the safety engineer demanded that the lighting be carried out on the mountain at the same time, to prevent people from moving from place to place - so that no crowding or overcrowding would be created. In practice, it appears, their demand was not met.
They added: "We warned about crowding and overcrowding, unrelated to Corona - but because of Shabbat. We estimated that crowds of people would arrive at once, and that's what happened.".
Moreover: In a letter sent to the licensing and security officer in the northern police district on April 26, following a safety tour conducted by the safety engineer on Mount Har, together with one of the police licensing centers, it was claimed that due to a balcony built by one of the families: "The emergency exit opening leading to the Abrahamic Chronicles (stairs) has been reduced. In an emergency, this obstacle poses a danger and a bottleneck.".
The safety engineer warned in a letter: "Due to the expected amount of crowd, all emergency exits must be kept clear.".
In practice, as stated, according to testimonies, for a reason that has not yet been clarified, one of the exits was blocked.
