Tel Aviv: Israel is in a mourning on Sunday which was declared a day of national mourning following the worst peacetime tragedy in Israel’s history, when at least 45 people including children were crushed to death and more than 150 got injured, many critically, in a stampede after midnight Thursday when the devotees had gathered at Mount Meron to celebrate the Lag B’Omer holiday.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described the incident “a terrible disaster,” and promised a thorough investigation.
US President Joe Biden, while calling the loss of life among worshipers practicing their faith as “heartbreaking”, said on April 30,2021 that he had instructed his team to offer our assistance to the government and people of Israel as they respond to the disaster and care for the wounded.
A local newspaper quoted a police official saying the incident was centred on “a slippery walkway, with a metal floor, where crowding was at a height”. (Watch the videos below that show some of the unfolding tragedy).
"הדוחק היה חריג, מראות קשים מאוד": תיעוד ראשוני מרגעי האסון בהר מירון@rubih67 pic.twitter.com/MR7UBCVEHN
— כאן חדשות (@kann_news) April 29, 2021
– global bihari bureau
