Dozens of people have been killed in a crowd crush at a Jewish religious gathering in northern Israel attended by tens of thousands of people.
A rescue service spokesman said 28 people died in the crush early on Friday, according to Reuters. The Magen David Adom ambulance service said 103 people had been injured, including dozens fatally. Channel 12 TV put the number of dead at 38.
Magen David Adom posted the updated toll on Twitter, adding “MDA is fighting for the lives of dozens wounded, and will not give up until the last victim is evacuated.”
The Jerusalem Post said six helicopters were called to the scene to evacuate the injured. The Israeli military said it had dispatched medics and search and rescue teams along with helicopters to assist with a “mass casualty incident” in the area.
Israeli media published an image of a row of bodies covered in plastic bags on the ground and videos posted on social media showed chaotic scenes as Ultra-Orthodox men clambered through gaps in sheets of torn corrugated iron to escape the crush, as police and paramedics tried to reach the wounded. » | Guardian staff and agencies | Friday, April 30, 2021
