Dozens killed in a stampede at a religious site in Israel

Lahore, 30th April: Dozens of people get killed after a stampede at a religious site in North of Israel.

According to reports, 45 people were crushed to death on Friday at an overcrowded ultra-Orthodox religious ceremony held in Israel.

As per reports, more than 100 people got injured during the religious ceremony where tens of thousands flocked to the Galilee tomb of 2nd-century sage Rabbi Shim Bar Yochai for the celebration of the annual Lag B’Omer which includes prayers, mystic songs and dancing all night.

People got trampled in a tight passageway that was three meters wide. The crowd dispersed after an appeal from the PA system and packed the Mount Meron slope.

Medics said some of the dead are yet to be identified and the injured included children also.

A witness told Reuters news agency that while they were trying to go inside for the ritual dancing, they saw paramedics running and carrying out CPR on kids. Then they saw ambulances come out one after the other.

Since then, several videos are being shared on social media showing ultra-Orthodox men climbing desperately through gaps in sheets of torn wrinkled iron to escape the stampede.

Dozens of people have been killed in a stampede at a religious festival in Israel.

Tens of thousands of mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews were marking the annual Lag BaOmer holiday.

More details: https://t.co/N8RJVIOjmC pic.twitter.com/xvhXdy7NJ5

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) April 30, 2021

Bodies covered in foil blankets can be seen laying on stretchers in a corridor.

An injured person reported how the stampede began when a line of people from the front row collapsed. He added bodies started piling up over one another in a few second’s time.

A policeman informed that the overall capacity of people this year at Mount Meron was the same as the previous years, however, this year bonfire area was cordoned off due to COVID-19 precaution. It is suspected this may have created an unexpected constriction for the people.

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