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According to official information from the Ministry of Health, at least 44 people were killed and more than 100 injured in a mass panic in the pilgrimage site of Meron. Thousands of people - mostly religious people - had celebrated the Jewish holiday of Lag Baomer on Mount Meron. The authorities had limited the number of participants to 10,000, but according to media reports up to ten times more people had come. Before the disaster, videos on social networks showed how people huddled together and sang, danced and jumped.

The police have started investigating the causes.

The first investigations have been started, said the police chief responsible for the north, Shimon Lavi, to journalists on Friday.

"It was a bad, tragic night," he said.

“I have the overarching responsibility, for better and worse.” He is “ready for every test”.

Israeli security guards and rescue workers stand next to the bodies of the victims

Source: dpa / Ishay Jerusalemite

How exactly the sudden mass panic came about has not yet been conclusively clarified - the investigations are ongoing.

According to initial findings, people began to slide on a sloping ramp with a metal floor and corrugated iron partitions on both sides.

The crowded celebrants then fell on top of each other.

In the first media reports there was talk of the collapse of a grandstand.

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In the morning hours, the first allegations were made against the police.

They let people into the cordoned-off area, even though it was already extremely full.

After the panic began, the police did not open exits on the other side quickly enough, according to the criticism.

A total of around 5,000 security guards were deployed.

Orthodox Jews celebrated in northern Israel

Credit: AFP / JALAA MAREY

A spokesman for the rescue service Zaka said on television that there was chaos on site and that many children had been separated from their parents.

One tries to bring them together again.

"I've been with the emergency services for more than 20 years, I've never seen anything like it," said the spokesman.

“Those are unbelievable numbers.” A paramedic also reported that he had seen terrible things.

The injured were taken to nearby hospitals, some by rescue helicopter.

The police blocked access roads and cleared the area.

However, hundreds of believers reportedly refused to leave because they wanted to pray.

There were also confrontations.

Even soldiers were deployed, including an elite army unit.

According to the police, there were problems with cell phone reception and many desperate people could not reach relatives in Meron by phone.

The police blocked access roads and cleared the area

Source: REUTERS

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Israeli President Reuven Rivlin wrote on Twitter that he was following reports of the tragedy and praying for the recovery of the injured.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was dismayed by the "serious accident" and assured the rescue workers support.

Health Minister Juli Edelstein spoke of a terrible disaster.

He also expressed his condolences to the bereaved and thanked the rescue workers for their work.

Lag Baomer is a festival that commemorates, among other things, the Jewish uprising against the Roman occupiers under rebel leader Bar Kochba.

It erupted in 132 and was put down about three years later.

According to tradition, an epidemic ended on the day of Lag Baomer, from which numerous Jewish religious students had died at the time.

Rabbi Shimon Bar Jochai, who was also involved in the uprising against the Romans, is buried on Mount Meron. His grave is a place of pilgrimage that thousands visit each year on the holiday. Traditionally, campfires are also lit at this time. Last year, the celebrations were severely restricted due to the corona pandemic, but the number of infections has now fallen significantly and the rules have been relaxed again.