Israeli inquiry into deadly Mount Meron stampede begins hearings

Commission investigating deadly accident at Jewish pilgrimage site in April holds first hearing.

An Israeli government commission investigating a deadly accident at a Jewish pilgrimage site in April held its first hearing, almost four months after the stampede at Mount Meron killed 45 people. The April 29 incident at the Jewish festival in northern Israel was the deadliest civilian disaster in the country’s history. About 100,000 worshippers, mostly ultra-Orthodox Jews, attended festivities despite coronavirus regulations limiting outdoor assemblies to 500 people, and in spite of longstanding warnings about the safety of the site. Hundreds of people bottlenecked in a narrow passageway descending the mountain, and a slippery slope caused people to stumble and fall. The resulting human avalanche killed 45 people and injured at least 150.