A step fell on a pilgrimage in Israel: there are ‘dozens of dead’

The collapse of a metal slipway, on the occasion of a Jewish pilgrimage in northern Israel, caused “dozens of deaths” and several injuries, according to local rescuers.

“The emergency services of the Magen David Adom (MDA, Israeli equivalent of the Red Cross), and ambulances treat dozens of injured, including” several serious “, said the spokesman of the organization, Zaki Heller, it’s a statement.

Tens of thousands of people participated in the annual pilgrimage in northern Israel on the night from Thursday to Friday, the largest public event in the country since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The pilgrimage, which celebrates the Jewish holiday of Lag Baomer, takes place in Meron, around the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yojai, a 2nd century Talmudist credited with writing the Zohar, a central work of Jewish mysticism.

Lag Baomer is a joyous holiday that commemorates the end of a devastating epidemic among the pupils of a Talmudic school at that time.

The authorities had allowed the presence of 10,000 people in the venue from the grave, but according to the organizers, more than 650 buses were chartered across the country, representing at least 30,000 people. The local press estimated the influx at 100,000 people.

But after midnight, the stands collapsed, causing panic and emergency calls for rescuers who have deployed helicopters to evacuate the wounded.

The Israeli press showed the image of a dozen inert bodies lined up in plastic bags surrounded by lifeguards on an asphalt runway.

News in development

Source: agencies

AFG

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source https://pledgetimes.com/a-step-fell-on-a-pilgrimage-in-israel-there-are-dozens-of-dead/