Paramedics reported that dozens of people were killed in a crush during a religious celebration in Israel on Friday, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described as a "major disaster." The stampede occurred when tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox Jews gathered at the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai for the annual Lag BaOmer celebration, which includes overnight prayers, singing, and dancing. Eyewitnesses stated that people were suffocated or trampled in a narrow, crowded passage, with some going unnoticed until the internal radio issued a call to disperse, as crowds blocked a slope on Mount Meron, defying warnings related to the coronavirus.
Magen David Adom ambulance service reported that helicopters transported the injured to hospitals in northern Israel. The Israeli army stated that search and rescue forces and medical teams flooded the scene. Paramedics described the incident as a stampede, indicating that 103 people were injured, while Channel 12 estimated that 40 people had lost their lives. Eyewitnesses noted that among the victims were children.
Shlomo Katz, 36, told Reuters, "We were standing and waiting for our friends, and we were going in to dance when suddenly we saw paramedics from Magen David Adom running as if in the middle of CPR for children." He then saw ambulances leaving “one after another” and realized something serious had happened. "We stepped aside as the ambulances came in and out and waited until we could slowly exit." This site is considered one of the holiest places for Jews and is a site for an annual pilgrimage. Netanyahu described the incident on Twitter as a "major disaster." The gathering was organized despite health officials expressing concerns that the crowding could pose a risk of COVID-19 infection.
