A missile fired from Iran toward Haifa on Sunday was not intercepted and struck a building directly, triggering fires and causing the structure to collapse. An 82-year-old resident was pulled seriously wounded from the wreckage. Also at the scene: an infant who sustained minor shrapnel wounds and several people treated for shock. Large rescue forces were dispatched, in part due to fears that additional victims may be trapped beneath the ruins. It remains unclear why the missile was not intercepted.
Shevach Rotenshtreich, a senior paramedic with Magen David Adom, described the scene: "When we arrived at the street, we saw a multi-story building that had taken a direct hit, with extensive destruction everywhere. Residents at the scene told us there were wounded people trapped beneath the rubble on the lower floors. We managed to move large concrete slabs with our bare hands and pulled from the debris an 82-year-old man who had been critically wounded but was conscious.
"We administered first aid on the spot and evacuated him to the hospital in an MDA intensive care ambulance in critical condition. Large MDA forces at the scene are providing medical treatment to several lightly wounded individuals and are prepared to treat additional casualties if they are located during the search."
Avi Epshtein, head of the Carmel district rescue operations, added, "This is a multi-story residential building that has been hit. There is extensive destruction at the scene, and it appears there are victims still trapped. At this stage, we are deployed with MDA ambulances, rapid response vehicles, and motorcycles at various locations to provide medical treatment to additional casualties, and we are continuing the search for additional victims. Updates will follow as needed."
