A stampede at a religious festival in Israel left at least 45 people dead and more than 150 people injured in one of the worst civilian disasters in the country's history. Officials said that some of the deceased victims were children.
The tragedy occurred during the festival of Lag BaOmer at Mount Meron, where over 100,000 mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews had gathered to celebrate the anniversary of the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, a second-century sage. The celebration features huge bonfires as people feast, sing, and dance throughout the night.
According to Haaretz, the stampede started when several people tripped and fell while walking down the steps as they left. That caused dozens of other people to fall, sparking the deadly stampede.
"People came to celebrate Lag BaOmer and Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and unfortunately were literally crushed to death," Dov Maisel, an Israeli volunteer emergency medical services organization, told NBC News.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu asked to declare Sunday (May 2) a national day of mourning.
"The Mount Meron disaster is one of the worst that the State of Israel has ever experienced. We are pained over those who have died. Our hearts are with the families as well as with the injured, to whom we wish a full recovery," Netanyahu said.
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