JERUSALEM, July 17 (JTA) — Controversy over the bridge that collapsed at the Maccabiah Games intensified this week amid reports that police vehicles had driven over the structure. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s spokesman, Shai Bazak, confirmed that police and general security service vehicles had driven over the structure. The lawyer for the contracting firm that built the bridge raised the possibility that the vehicular traffic had damaged the foundations of the bridge, which was intended for pedestrian use only. A police spokesman refused to comment on the matter. Two members of the Australian delegation were killed and scores injured when the bridge collapsed as the athletes were leading a march into the Ramat Gan stadium for the opening ceremonies of the games. The tragedy drew a flurry of accusations and counter-accusations over who was responsible for the collapse. The lawyers for the two contractors, meanwhile, confirmed that their clients had never built a bridge before. However, they maintained that they had built the bridge to the specifications of the engineer who had approved the project.
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