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The disaster took place in Merone near the grave of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a 2nd century Talmudic sage, where mostly Uttra-Orthodox Jews flock to celebrate Lag BaOmer.
Last year this pilgrimage was canceled due to a pandemic, and this year it was going to be a joyous event for the country, which has already opened many areas of its life thanks to a successful vaccination campaign.
This year’s Lag BaOmer was the largest public gathering since the beginning of the pandemic; There were reports that people gathered three times more than allowed.
Initial reports indicated that people were killed in the collapse of part of the stadium’s stands, but rescuers later linked the victims to congestion.
“We have 38 dead at the scene, but there are more in the hospital,” a rescue service spokesman told AFP.
A source from Zivo Hospital AFP said at the time that the treatment center had received at least six victims.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the incident a “great disaster” and said he was “praying for the injured.”
The army and rescue services sent helicopters to evacuate the wounded.
A few hours after the tragedy, Meron’s photos showed a grieving crowd of ultra-Orthodox Jews, wrecks strewn across the ground.
Some lit candles for the victims, others prayed on the nearby wall.
Israeli media have published a photo of corpses lined up on the ground in plastic bags.
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