80-Year-Old Barry Levitt Killed in Jerusalem Balcony Collapse

Barry Levitt, 80, was killed in the balcony collapse that took place yesterday (Monday) at a private home on KKL Street in Jerusalem’s Rehavia neighborhood. The balcony collapsed into a nearby bakery, trapping Levitt under the rubble. He is survived by his wife and three children.

According to MDA, Levitt was trapped for long minutes, unconscious beneath the debris. Rescue and medical teams worked to extricate him from the scene, but shortly after he was pulled out, they were forced to pronounce him dead due to his injuries.

Three other people were also injured in the incident. A woman in her 80s was rescued in light condition, along with a 16-year-old boy and girl who were also lightly injured. In addition, medical teams treated three people at the scene for shock following the collapse.

Details from the incident indicate that just a few hours before the disaster, police and the Jerusalem Municipality had conducted an inspection at the site. The inspection followed reports from neighbors who noticed the balcony was sinking and expressed concern about its stability. After the report, a professional was called to the scene, examined the structure, and recommended putting up scaffolding and beginning work to stabilize the balcony.

Despite that professional recommendation, the balcony collapsed before the planned reinforcement work could begin.

One of the neighbors said suspicious signs had been visible earlier, but did not raise alarm for him at the time: "I left for work in the morning and saw pieces at the entrance to the building, but I didn’t attach importance to it," he said. According to him, "Another neighbor apparently saw it a few days earlier and called in professionals."