Disaster in Deir al-Asad: Two firefighting commanders expected to stand trial

The prosecution is expected to indict two firefighting commanders, Yigal Ben Abu and Tal Avraham Papo, for negligent homicide in the pit disaster in Deir al-Asad, in which firefighters Dekel Marciano and Adnan Assad were killed. The decision was made more than three years after the disaster, as revealed in hearing letters obtained by N12. The Haifa District Prosecutor's Office informed the families of the decision. The letters state that the two are suspected of causing the deaths of the firefighters. The officers will now be able to present their arguments in a hearing before a final decision on filing indictments. The disaster occurred on August 13, 2023, when a young Palestinian man fell into an eight-meter-deep sewage pit filled with toxic gases. Firefighter Adnan Assad descended to rescue him and lost consciousness; Dekel Marciano followed and also lost consciousness. The three were rescued and evacuated to a hospital, but Assad and the young man were pronounced dead that day; Marciano died two days later.