Stampede in Israel Claims Dozens of Lives, Injures Hundreds of Jewish Pilgrims
Michele Chabin of Religion News Service reports, “At least 45 Jewish pilgrims were crushed to death and hundreds more were injured late Thursday (April 29) during an annual celebration of a Jewish holiday in the Galilee.” The mass gathering included more than 100,000 attendees, most of whom were Orthodox and celebrating the Jewish holiday of Lag b’Omer. “Video footage from the stampede shows tens of thousands of religious men crowded into a narrow walkway,” Chabin reports. “Some reportedly slipped down a stairway and were trampled by others propelled by the crowd. Chaos ensued to the point where, many hours later, some families were still searching for loved ones.”