A 10-year-old boy was tragically niftar Wednesday afternoon after being critically injured by an explosion inside a burning garbage container on Rebbe of Nadvorna Street in Beitar Illit.

The child was standing near the container when an unidentified object apparently exploded amid the flames and struck him, causing devastating injuries throughout his body. Despite emergency resuscitation efforts and his evacuation to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital, his death was subsequently confirmed.

Magen David Adom received the emergency call at 4:56 p.m., reporting a seriously injured child at the scene of a garbage fire. Paramedics and emergency medical technicians rushed to the location and found the boy unconscious, suffering from severe multisystem trauma.

Emergency responders immediately began lifesaving treatment, including CPR, as they worked to stabilize the child for urgent transportation to the hospital.

Moshe Fordsham, a United Hatzalah ambulance driver who happened to be traveling nearby when the explosion occurred, described hearing the blast and rushing to the child’s assistance.

“While driving in a United Hatzalah ambulance, I heard a powerful explosion. I got out of the ambulance and noticed a boy about 10 years old who was unconscious and suffering from severe injuries to his body. I performed resuscitation efforts, and afterward he was evacuated to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in critical condition,” Fordsham said.

At the same time, firefighters and volunteers from the Yehuda Regional Fire Station responded to the burning refuse container and worked to extinguish the flames.

Firefighters at the scene confirmed that the explosion occurred while the contents of the container were burning, with the resulting blast causing the child’s catastrophic injuries.

Police officers joined the emergency crews and began investigating what had ignited the container and what object had exploded inside it.

According to an initial police statement, the precise circumstances surrounding the incident remain unclear.

“A garbage container (recycling bin) caught fire for a reason that is not yet known, and as a result, an unidentified object flew out of it and struck the body of a boy about 10 years old who was nearby. As a result, the child was seriously injured and was evacuated for further treatment at the hospital. Police forces are at the scene together with firefighters and have begun investigating the circumstances of the incident,” police said.

Investigators are working to determine the source of the explosion and identify the object that was propelled from the burning container.