Israel’s Prime Minister promises inquiry after stampede at Lag B’Omer kills 45 people

A chilling image of bodies lining the street has emerged after 45 people were killed and 150 injured in a deadly stampede at a festival in Israel.

Israel’s Prime Minister promises inquiry after stampede at Lag B’Omer kills 45 people. Picture: AFP

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to launch an inquiry after dozens of people were killed in a stampede at a Jewish pilgrimage site on Thursday night.

At least 45 people were crushed to death and more than 150 people were injured at the Lag B’Omer festival in northern Israel, when people became trapped in an overcrowded passageway.

Horrifying footage has emerged showing bodies covered in foil blankets lining a street after the crowd had finally dispersed.

Families of victims who have been positively identified have been allowed to hold funerals overnight, but there are still 13 bodies that have yet to be formally accounted for, the Times of Israel reports.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has now promised an investigation into one of the nation’s “worst disasters”, the BBC reports.

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Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised an inquiry after the horrific stampede at Lag B’Omer that killed 45 people. Picture: Supplied

Horrific photos show bodies of victims lining the street in the aftermath of the disaster. Picture: AFP / United Hatzalah

The pilgrimage was the largest public gathering in Israel since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year.

Officials had warned overcrowding could fuel viral spread, and only authorised 10,000 to attend.

But The Associated Press reports this year’s pilgrimage drew “tens of thousands of people”, with footage before the disaster showing them packed together singing, dancing and lighting bonfires in celebration.

Things turned deadly as the crowd swelled, forcing police to close the exit ramp, causing people to become trapped and begin falling on each other.

Dozens of people have been killed and many more critically injured.

Crowds were tightly packed at the event prior to the disaster.

Distressing footage uploaded to social media showed the tightly packed crowd desperately pushing through “walls of iron” to escape.

Children were among the casualties, with reports stating victims died from asphyxiation or from being trampled and crushed.

The annual ultra-Orthodox Jewish holiday is held to honour second-century sage and mystic Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai who is buried there.

Funerals have begun commencing for those who have been formally identified. Picture: Menahem Kahana/AFP

A field hospital has been set up at the scene, with the nearby Ziv Medical Center treating around 150 injured patients, according to The Jerusalem Post.

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