Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Friday, April 30, 2021
From the Liveblog of
Friday, April 30, 2021
Incident began at around 1 a.m., at bonfire lighting ceremony
The tragedy began at around 1 am on Friday, emergency services say.
A bonfire lighting ceremony for Toldot Aharon hasidim was being held at the pilgrimage area, close to the gravesite of the second-century sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yohai, amid huge, densely packed crowds, first reports indicate.
The overcrowding led to some people falling, and other people falling over them, precipitating a stampede and fatal crushing, according to a Channel 12 news report.
Warning: Graphic footage. The video below shows the evacuation of some of the injured.
פצועים מפונים מהמקום pic.twitter.com/OmQu2YhSVv
— משה ויסברג (@moshe_nayes) April 29, 2021
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