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Telegraph
4 days ago
- Politics
- Telegraph
Bunker-busting missile strike shakes Israelis' faith in their own safety
Charred around the edges, the entry hole on the corner of the high-rise apartment block is only about 10ft across. But, as it turned out, that was all the more devastating for the residents inside. Rather than detonating its roughly 700kg warhead on the external walls of the residential block, the Iranian ballistic missile travelled right into the heart of the structure. It exploded only when it struck the reinforced bunker nestling in the core of the building. Four people were killed, two of them inside the shelter. Liel Ferig, 22, was in the bunker a few floors below when the rocket hit. 'The explosion was absolutely massive,' she said. 'The walls literally rocked – pictures and anything on them flew across the room. 'Later, water started pouring in through the ceiling as the fire brigade tried to put out the fire. We were very scared.' Their neighbours above were not so fortunate. Israelis have always placed great faith in the sophisticated array of anti-missile systems to keep them safe, but they have always known the defensive shield is not foolproof. The shelters were their ultimate peace of mind. Israel's government places a huge emphasis on the importance of taking refuge in certified bunkers during air raids. 'Follow the instructions – they save lives', is the constant refrain. In modern high-rises, where there might not be time to reach a subterranean bunker, each floor is now equipped with a safe room. Following the tragedy in Petah Tikva, the Home Front Command was forced to state that the reinforced concrete shelters were not designed to withstand 'direct hits', after conceding that the Iranian missile 'breached' the structure, causing it to collapse. The four who died here on Sunday were among eight at locations across Israel, bringing the total to 24. About 300 have been hospitalised. Iran is thought still to have possibly more than 1,000 ballistic missiles at its disposal. On Monday, visibly shaken residents removed their belongings, picking a path between the broken glass and debris on the ground. Asked how safe she felt after last night, a desperate look crossed Liel's face. 'We don't know how this could happen,' she said. More than 300 families have now been evacuated from this and the neighbouring apartment blocks. This neighbourhood is typical of modern Israel, where many people want to live and property is expensive. A large percentage of the population lives in high-rises like these. As well as the two people who died in the breached shelter, a third was killed on a different floor who was not in a safe room. The fourth, also outside a designated bomb shelter, was killed by the shockwave in the adjacent building. In addition, an 86-year-old man died in the central city of Bnei Brak and there were three fatalities in the northern port city of Haifa. Anat Rubinshtein was trying to gather herself together as she evacuated her apartment block with a couple of small bags and a box of treats for her beloved shitsu, Milkie. She was on nodding terms with one of the four people who died in the adjacent block after it suffered a direct hit from an Iranian missile. 'He was a dog-lover too,' she said. 'I never asked his name, but I used to see him out with his dog. It's so sad.' Although the identities of the four people known to have died in the strike in Petah Tikvah have not yet been known, it has been revealed that two were in a designated shelter. Anat herself never misses a siren and was in her own shelter on the second floor of her building when the impact took place. 'I feel the shelters don't protect us any more,' she said. 'I was thinking last night, should I try to make it underground where maybe I would be safer, but in the end I stuck with protocol.' 'If I'd been in that building...' As Israel entered the afternoon, bulldozers were busy demolishing a playground at the foot of the stricken apartment block after it was damaged by the blast. Most of the cars in the car park have caved-in windscreens, smashed windows and strange dents from the shockwave. Those not forced to evacuate the many similar high-rises in Petah Tikva now face an uncertain future, as Israel and Iran continue to trade airstrikes.
BBC News
12-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Crash safety course targets Warwickshire's car drivers
A team of firefighters have developed a free course to teach drivers about what to if they are involved in - or come across - a crash. The Warwickshire group from Atherstone Fire Station will deliver the crash course lessons in July with the aim of improving the confidence of those who take course will include lessons on safety and life-saving skills, including basic first of the firefighters involved, Thomas Whitelegg, said: "All the knowledge people recieve on this course is based on the skills we use every day in the service". He said the brigade previously ran a course which taught motorcyclists about responding to crashes but he had often been asked if there was a similar course for car drivers. "The only courses that were available for free were if you had already been prosecuted," he added. Mr Whitelegg said the team decided to create the scheme in order to "empower" people with the skills to know what to do "voluntarily", rather than after a referral from the police. He said all the courses, to be held at fire stations in Nuneaton, Rugby and Leamington Spa, were fully booked up in the first week they became available."We weren't expecting this much interest," he added. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Times of Oman
12-06-2025
- General
- Times of Oman
Over 100 feared dead in India plane crash
Ahmedabad: A tragic plane crash has occurred in the Indian city of Ahmedabad's Meghani Nagar area. It was an Air India flight with 133 passengers on board and was bound for London. Reports suggest over 100 people have lost their lives. Emergency services are at the site. Police and fire brigade teams are rushing to the scene at IGB Ground.
Times of Oman
12-06-2025
- General
- Times of Oman
Over 200 feared dead in India plane crash
Ahmedabad: A tragic plane crash has occurred in the Indian city of Ahmedabad's Meghani Nagar area. Reports suggest around 200 people have lost their lives. Emergency services are at the site. Police and fire brigade teams are rushing to the scene at IGB Ground.
The Independent
03-06-2025
- General
- The Independent
Ten guilty over Athens wildfire that killed 104 people as ‘lenient' sentences spark outrage
A Greek appeals court has found 10 individuals guilty of misdemeanour charges related to a devastating 2018 wildfire that claimed 104 lives. The ruling, delivered on Tuesday, has sparked outrage among relatives of the victims of the blaze, which stands as the country's worst wildfire disaster in recent memory. The court affirmed a previous verdict from a lower court last year, while also ordering the conviction of four additional people on misdemeanour charges, including involuntary manslaughter, according to legal sources. Those convicted include former fire brigade officials and an individual accused of arson. However, eleven people, including regional governors, were acquitted. The sentences for those convicted are expected to be announced on Wednesday. The penalty for a misdemeanour may include a suspended prison sentence or a jail term with the option of paying a fine.. The blaze that ripped through the seaside town of Mati, about 27 km (17 miles) east of the capital Athens, in July 2018 killed 104 people and injured dozens. Most of those killed were caught in a maze of thickly-forested streets as they tried to flee in their cars." Such a horrible disaster so badly handled and it's being treated as a misdemeanour. That's far too lenient. It's sad," said Alexandros Papasteriopoulos, a lawyer representing relatives of the dead. Survivors and relatives released black balloons and held white roses during the trial to honour those killed. They shouted "shame" when the verdict was announced. The disaster cast a pall over the then-leftist Syriza government, with survivors accusing authorities of botching rescue attempts. Authorities dismissed the accusations, saying that erratic winds fuelling the flames meant there was no time for coordinated action. Devastating wildfires have become more frequent in Mediterranean countries. Scientists attribute their frequency and intensity to the increasingly hot and dry weather conditions linked to climate change.
