At least 44 people were killed and 150 injured on Friday in a stampede at a religious festival attended by thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews in northern Israel, reported Associated press quoting medical officials.
It was one of the country’s deadliest civilian disasters. The stampede began when large numbers of people thronged a narrow tunnel-like passage during the event, according to witnesses and video footage.
People began falling on top of each other near the end of the walkway, as they descended slippery metal stairs, the agency reported quoting witnesses.
The stampede occurred during the celebrations of Lag BaOmer at Mount Meron, the first mass religious gathering to be held legally since Israel lifted nearly all restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic.
