The Maccabiah bridge collapse was the catastrophic failure of a pedestrian bridge over the Yarkon River in Tel Aviv, Israel on the 14th of July, 1997. The collapse of the temporary wooden structure killed four and injured 60 Australian athletes who were visiting Israel to participate in the Maccabiah Games. One of the four athletes died during the collapse, but the other three were killed afterwards by infections caused by exposure to the polluted river water.
Five people, including the engineer who designed the bridge and the chairman of the Tel Aviv Games Organising Committee, were later convicted of recklessly causing death and injury. The incident and subsequent inquiries were extensively reported on by the Australian media. The tragedy highlighted Israel's neglect of environmental issues, especially with regard to its rivers and waterways.
Read more about Maccabiah Bridge Collapse: Background, Collapse, Initial Investigations, Criminal Trial
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