One of the cooling towers of Oil Refineries Ltd. in the Haifa Bay partially collapsed on Friday morning, after a section of the wall came loose last week.
Initial reports indicate that no one was injured, and there was no indication that any hazardous material had leaked into the bay.
The Bazan Group, which owns the structure, said on Friday: “This morning, the upper part of Bazan’s famous ‘white chimneys,’ which used to function as a water cooling towers and haven’t been in use since 2009, collapsed. The collapse happened after a section of the wall fell in [Wednesday]. Bazan is doing everything, including consultations with engineering and planning experts, to study the event. The area is secured and there are no injuries.”
Israel’s Environmental Protection Minister Gila Gamliel said via Twitter: “This is a major sign of the beginning of the end. This time, the collapse was a mistake, next time it will be intentional. Haifa residents deserve to live in clean surroundings.”
This article first appeared in Israel Hayom.
