Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pledged to investigate one of Israel’s “worst disasters” after 45 people were killed in a mass stampede at a Jewish bonfire today.
Late last night, tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered at Mount Meron in northern Israel to celebrate the annual Lag B’Omer festival, commemorating Shimon bar Yochai, a rabbi from the 2nd century CE, when a serious stampede occurred.
According to the Israeli Ministry of Health, the death toll was 45. The Israeli emergency medical aid organization “Red Star of David” (Magen David Adom) estimates that about 150 people were injured.
It was the most crowded rally in Israel since the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak began more than a year ago.
Officials had warned that crowds could contribute to the spread of the virus if they overcrowded, so only 10,000 people were allowed to attend the event.
But Israeli media reported that about 90,000 people flocked to the event. Officials, however, have not confirmed that number.
Accounts of what caused the incident vary, but many witnesses said large crowds trampled on each other as they passed through a narrow passageway.
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