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‘Great tragedy’: Stampede at Jewish pilgrimage site kills dozens

A huge stampede at the densely packed Jewish pilgrimage site of Mount Meron killed at least 44 people in northern Israel.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the stampede a “great tragedy” and said everyone was praying for the victims [Jack Guez/AFP]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the stampede a “great tragedy” and said everyone was praying for the victims [Jack Guez/AFP]
30 Apr 2021

At least 44 people have been killed and about 150 others injured in a stampede at a religious festival in northern Israel attended by tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews, according to medical officials said.

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.

Lag BaOmer draws tens of thousands of people, most of them ultra-Orthodox Jews, each year to honour Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century sage and mystic who is buried there. Large crowds traditionally light bonfires, pray and dance as part of the celebrations.

This year, the media estimated the crowd at about 100,000 people.

It was one of the country’s deadliest civilian disasters.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the stampede a “great tragedy” and said everyone was praying for the victims.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews look at stairs with waste on it in Mount Meron, northern Israel, where fatalities were reported among the thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered at the tomb of a second-century sage for annual commemorations that include all-night prayer and dance. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
Ultra-Orthodox Jews look at stairs with waste on it in Mount Meron, northern Israel, where fatalities were reported among the thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered at the tomb of a second-century sage for annual commemorations that include all-night prayer and dance. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
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Rescue workers take a dead body into an ambulance on Mount Meron. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
Rescue workers take a dead body into an ambulance on Mount Meron. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
Israeli rescue teams transport victims into an ambulance on April 30, 2021 at the scene of a stampede that took place overnight during a religious gathering in the northern Israeli town of Meron near the reputed tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century Talmudic sage, where mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews flock to mark the Lag BaOmer holiday. [Jack Guez/AFP]
Israeli rescue teams transport victims into an ambulance on April 30, 2021 at the scene of a stampede that took place overnight during a religious gathering in the northern Israeli town of Meron near the reputed tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century Talmudic sage, where mainly ultra-Orthodox Jews flock to mark the Lag BaOmer holiday. [Jack Guez/AFP]
An ultra-Orthodox Jew stands near pairs of spectacles on Mount Meron. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
An ultra-Orthodox Jew stands near pairs of spectacles on Mount Meron. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
The personal belongings of Jewish pilgrims are piled up at the scene of the stampede. [Jack Guez/AFP]
The personal belongings of Jewish pilgrims are piled up at the scene of the stampede. [Jack Guez/AFP]
An Israeli military helicopter evacuates injured Jewish pilgrims from Ziv hospital in the Israeli northern city of Safed to the central Israel hospitals. [Jalaa Marey/AFP]
An Israeli military helicopter evacuates injured Jewish pilgrims from Ziv hospital in the Israeli northern city of Safed to the central Israel hospitals. [Jalaa Marey/AFP]
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A medic organises the ambulance after evacuating wounded Jewish pilgrims from Mount Meron in northern Israel on April 30, 2021. [Jalaa Marey/AFP]
A medic organises the ambulance after evacuating wounded Jewish pilgrims from Mount Meron in northern Israel on April 30, 2021. [Jalaa Marey/AFP]
A man checks the personal belongings of Jewish pilgrims, piled up at the scene of a stampede that took place during a religious gathering overnight in the northern Israeli town of Meron. [Jack Guez/AFP]
A man checks the personal belongings of Jewish pilgrims, piled up at the scene of a stampede that took place during a religious gathering overnight in the northern Israeli town of Meron. [Jack Guez/AFP]
Efforts were still under way to identify victims and connect families with missing relatives. It was one of the country's deadliest civilian disasters. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
Efforts were still under way to identify victims and connect families with missing relatives. It was one of the country's deadliest civilian disasters. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
Jewish worshippers walk on Mount Meron, where fatalities were reported. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
Jewish worshippers walk on Mount Meron, where fatalities were reported. [Ronen Zvulun/Reuters]
Jewish worshippers sing and dance as they stand on tribunes at the Lag BaOmer event in Mount Meron on April 29, 2021. [Reuters]
Jewish worshippers sing and dance as they stand on tribunes at the Lag BaOmer event in Mount Meron on April 29, 2021. [Reuters]

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