Dozens of people have been killed in a stampede at a religious festival in the north-east of Israel. Israel’s national emergency service Magen David Adom (MDA) confirmed the deaths without giving exact numbers, and said dozens more had been wounded.
Reports tells at least 38 people have been killed. Emergency services are evacuating the injured. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described it as a “heavy disaster”, and said he was praying for the casualties.
The Lag B’Omer festival at the foot of Mount Meron is the largest event held in the country since the coronavirus pandemic began, with tens of thousands reportedly attending – despite concerns about spreading the virus. Tens of thousands of Orthodox Jews make a pilgrimage to Meron each year for Lag B’Omer, an annual religious holiday marked with all-night bonfires, prayer and dancing. The town is the site of the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century sage, and is considered to be one of the holiest sites in the Jewish world.
According to the Times of Israel, organisers estimated that 100,000 people arrived on Thursday night, with more due to arrive on Friday. Last year’s celebration was restricted, but Israel’s successful vaccination programme – one of the fastest in the world – has allowed it to lift many restrictions in recent months.
Dozens of ambulances are at the scene and emergency services have laid out bodies under foil covers on the ground. Police have asked everyone at the site to evacuate.
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