Jerusalem – Israeli emergency services who responded after bleachers collapsed at an Orthodox synagogue in the West Bank settlement of Giv’at Ze’ev northwest of Jerusalem have described it as a “mass casualty event”.
At least two people have been confirmed dead, said the head of police for Jerusalem district.
Video broadcast on Israeli television showed dozens of worshippers falling to the ground when the crowded bleachers collapsed.
According to police, a “considerable number of worshippers were injured”. A firefighter on scene said that worshippers appeared to be trapped under the bleachers.
Over 100 people have been injured, said Israeli emergency medical services.
The bleacher collapse comes just over two weeks after 45 people were killed in a stampede at a religious festival at Israel’s Mount Meron, where worshippers had gathered to mark the Lag B’Omer holiday.
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