University of haifa, University in Haifa, Israel

The number of people, who have died in a stampede during the mass celebration of the Lag B'Omer holiday at Mount Meron in northern Israel, has increased to 44, local media reported on Friday.The number of injured people has risen to 103, with many of them remaining in critical condition, according to The Jerusalem Post.According to CNN, the attendees were celebrating the religious Lag B'Omer holiday, the largest annual public event in Israel. It commemorates the death of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a second-century Mishnaic sage whose book "The Zohar" is the foundation of Jewish mysticism."This is one of the worst tragedies that I have ever experienced. I have not seen anything like this since I entered into the field of emergency medicine back in 2000," said Lazar Hyman, vice president of the volunteer-based emergency organization United Hatzalah, who was at the scene, as reported by CNN.Dov Maisel, another United Hatzalah responder, told CNN that an estimated 50,000 to 100,000 people had been on the mountain, and many people had crowded into a small area. Thousands of people were pushed down a staircase and crushed each other, he said, adding that police are investigating what triggered the incident.Each year, hundreds of thousands of Jews -- many of them ultra-Orthodox -- flock to Bar Yochai's tomb site on Mount Meron, which lies in the Upper Galilee region of northern Israel, about 40 kilometers (25 miles) northeast of the city of Haifa.The gathering was made possible this year by Israel's recent decline in daily Covid cases. Israel has fully vaccinated more than 58% of its population, making it one of the most vaccinated populations in the world.CNN further reported that Israel health ministry had urged people not to attend the festival, warning the pandemic is still not over. Yet there was significant pressure on authorities to allow it to go ahead -- especially as it was canceled last year.Zaki Heller, spokesman for the ZAKA emergency service, rebutted initial reports that staging had collapsed at the site, saying the tragedy was the result of overcrowding.The injured were transported to nearby hospitals. Six helicopters were used to transfer the wounded.( With inputs from ANI )Disclaimer: This post has been auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

University Of HaifaFOLLOW

University of haifa, Latest News

Aurangabad, May 11: The famous variety of Tommy Atkins mango has been planted in the Nizam-era Himayat Bagh. ... ...

Groups in the Gaza Strip have been firing rockets on Israel without stopping for 10 hours, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said. ...

A total of three rockets were launched from the Gaza Strip toward southern Israel on Monday morning. ...

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Sunday expressed deep concern over the continuing violence in East Jerusalem. ...

A total of four rockets were fired from the Gaza Strip towards Israel, as violence near the border intensified over the impending eviction of dozens of Palestinians from East Jerusalem's neighbourhood. ...

Israel will send life-saving equipment to India, including individual oxygen generators to help the country address the difficult situation with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, the country's Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday. ...

Hollywood superstar Gal Gadot, who celebrated her 36th birthday on Friday (local time), thanked everyone in a post on Saturday (local time). ...

The number of people, who have died in a stampede during the mass celebration of the Lag B'Omer holiday at Mount Meron in northern Israel, has increased to 44, local media reported on Friday. ...