Tragedy in Israel: Dozens killed in the crowd after the stage collapsed.
Tens of thousands of pilgrims gathered at the foot of Mount Meron near the Lebanese border on Friday night, according to Israeli media, in the largest public event since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic in the country. There are footage on social networks of thousands of people dancing and jumping in the stands, as well as videos of the crowd and the chaos that followed the crash.
The media originally reported about the collapse of a portion of the platform. Authorities later announced that the victims only claimed it through a subsequent crush as people suffocated or were trampled upon. According to the Israeli daily Haaretz, at least 44 people were killed in the disaster. Rescue services reported 103 injuries, dozens of whom died.
Social media workers said at least 38 people were still at the scene in critical condition after the accident. Medics said in a tweet, “We are fighting for the lives of dozens of wounded, and we will not surrender until the last victim is evacuated.”
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the event as a “great disaster” and said he would pray for all the victims and the injured. President Reuven Rivlin said on Twitter that he was following the news of the disaster and praying for the healing of the wounded. Bahadri Haredim, a correspondent for the Orthodox Jewish Network, used similar words. “More than a thousand people together tried to leave a very small place in a very narrow way and in the process collapsed each other,” Quotes BBC Yankyu Farbera.
According to local media, the authorities had already encountered problems in applying anti-epidemic measures during Thursday. According to the BBC, the crowd greatly exceeded the expected turnout. Police said later that they had arrested two people prior to the incident for violating instructions from law enforcement officers.
