Thursday 18 / April / 2024
Israel: Dozens of people died in the northern Israeli town of Meron on Thursday night after a stampede at a large public gathering to celebrate the Lag B'Omer Jewish festival.
Rescue services say at least 44 people were killed and some 150 hospitalized in the incident.
Scenes from Meron hours after the accident showed an ultra-Orthodox Jewish crowd in distress, with debris scattered across the ground.
Some survivors had lit candles for the victims while others prayed at a nearby wall.
Emergency services and ambulances "are treating dozens of injured," including "20 patients in a critical state," Zaki Heller, spokesperson for Magen David Adom, the Israeli emergency service, said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear what caused the stampede.
Media reports initially said a section of stadium seating had collapsed at the event site. But officials later said it appeared that the casualties had been asphyxiated or trampled in the stampede.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the incident as a "heavy disaster" and added: "We are all praying for the wellbeing of the casualties."
