Safety commission set up after Israeli wedding disaster

The Israeli Government today set up a state commission of inquiry into the safety of public buildings following the collapse of a Jerusalem wedding hall that sent 23 guests plunging to their deaths.

‘‘We are in a situation that in addition to the steep price we pay from security reasons, we also pay a heavy and needless price as a result of a disregard for law and order,’’ said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

‘‘It is my intention to change these practices,’’ he told a Jerusalem press conference.

The commission is to investigate the legal, structural and safety procedures of buildings, said Sharon adviser Ranaan Gissin.

The commission will deal with faulty building practices in general in the country and not specifically with the collapse of the wedding hall - the biggest civilian disaster in Israel’s history.

Ten people, including contractors and engineers, have been arrested for their suspected roles in Thursday night’s tragedy.

More than 300 people were injured and 23 killed when a packed dance floor buckled without warning soon after the bride and groom exchanged vows.

In an instant the guests disappeared into the abyss, falling three storeys.

Among those arrested was the inventor of a cheaper, lightweight construction method used in the hall and in many public buildings built in Israel in the 1980s.

The method, which uses metal plates and thinner layers of cement in ceilings, was barred in 1996.