I want to share this devastating news I read today. Tens of thousands of people, mostly ultra-Orthod o x Jews, gather each year to honor Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, a 2nd century sage and mystic who is buried there. Large crowds traditionally light bonfires, pray and dance as part of the celebrations. But, More than 40 people were killed at a stampede which broke out early Friday at a Jewish religious festival attended by tens of thousands of people in northern Israel. The stampede, one of the deadliest civilian disasters in Israeli history, occurred during the celebrations of Lag Baomer at Mount Meron. The stampede began when large numbers of people thronged a narrow tunnel-like passage during the event, according to witnesses and video footage. People began falling on top of each other near the end of the walkway, as they descended slippery metal stairs, witnesses said.
Covers breaking news and special reports in the Middle East