At a holiday in Israel, there was a massive crush: 44 dead, more than 100 injured - ForumDaily
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At the holiday in Israel, there was a massive crush: 44 dead, more than 100 injured

At least 44 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the stampede that erupted during a massive religious festival in northern Israel. Writes about it with the BBC.

Photo: Shutterstock

The tragedy took place during the Lag BaOmer festival on Mount Meron in Galilee. Tens of thousands of people came to the holiday.

Doctors provided assistance to 150 victims, including 6 in critical condition and 18 in serious condition.

According to the Magen David Adom (MDA) medical service, 36 people were slightly injured, three were moderately injured, and 10 were critically injured. The service reported dozens of deaths.

“MDA is fighting for the lives of dozens of victims, and we will not give up until the last victim is evacuated,” the service said on its Twitter page.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a terrible disaster and said he was praying for the victims of the tragedy.

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The media reported that the cause of the incident was the collapse of the tribune, after which the crush began. The video footage from the scene shows long rows lying on the ground body bags.

In addition to paramedics and rescuers, the Israeli army also arrived at the scene. The most seriously injured were evacuated by helicopters.

According to reports from the scene, many in attendance are desperately trying to reach their loved ones, but mobile networks are significantly intermittent.

Joy turned to mourning

Police sources told reporters that the stampede began after several participants in the celebration slipped on the steps, after which several dozen more people who stood in a dense crowd fell to the ground.

“Everything happened in an instant; people just started falling and stepping on each other. It was a disaster,” said one witness.

A video on the Internet shows how chaos and panic suddenly breaks out in a crowd of thousands. People tried to escape.

And when the crowd began to be calmed by the loudspeakers, some heard that they were being told about a bomb planted.

“Nobody thought this could happen here,” the man said. “Joy turned to mourning, and bright light turned to deep darkness.”

“More than a thousand people simultaneously tried to go down a very, very narrow passage and just started falling on top of each other,” explained Yankee Farber, a reporter for the Orthodox Jewish website Behadrei Haredim.

One of the witnesses to the incident said that people pushed each other indiscriminately.

“About 20 minutes passed and everyone started to choke. Many tried to get out, but no one could do it. Below me lay people who were no longer breathing. Those who were still breathing screamed that they were suffocating,” he shared the horror of that event.

Another survivor stated that no one else knew what to do around.

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“At first it became very crowded. Then people started falling on me. They were screaming. There were children below me. The only thing I was thinking about at that moment: I don’t want my child to remain an orphan,” he told reporters.

The holiday, which was attended by tens of thousands of people, was held in spite of quarantine restrictions.

“Israel is in shock. This is the worst civil disaster in its modern history. How did an annual celebration turn into such a tragedy? Israeli police have experience providing security for much larger crowds, and the police's actions are now being criticized. An investigation has been launched,” reports BBC Middle East correspondent Yolanda Nell.

“Chaos still reigns on Mount Meron, hundreds of buses are trying to take away believers. Many families are still hoping for news of their loved ones, but emergency phone lines are overwhelmed. The bodies of the victims have yet to be identified. The funeral is expected to take place only after Shabbat. Leading rabbis called for prayers in support of the dead and wounded,” the correspondent reports.

What is Lag BaOmer

This holiday was considered the largest mass event in the country before quarantine restrictions were introduced.

In 2020, there was no celebration, but this year, due to the high rates of vaccination, the authorities allowed Lag B'Omer to be held.

The holiday is held annually at the burial site of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, one of the most prominent Jewish teachers of the law who lived in the 2nd century. ad. He is considered the founder of Kabbalistic teachings.

The holiday, celebrated on the day of his death, is accompanied by the making of fires, chants and dances.

The celebration on April 29 was attended by about 100 thousand people, although the authorities limited the number of believers to 10 thousand participants. And on April 30, even more believers were expected to arrive at Mount Meron.

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