Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai arrives at Meron following mass stampede, police launch investigation.
Israel Police spokesman Eli Levi said on Thursday night that Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai arrived at the scene of the tragedy on Mount Meron, adding that the incident would be fully investigated.
"The difficult incident is under investigation, the commissioner is at the scene, we currently have no further details, the investigation is in its infancy and it is still unclear what led to this incident," Levi said.
"We are evacuating the roads in favor of the rescue forces.All the people still at the site must evacuate by buses.We are currently concentrating on saving lives and will provide an update later on the investigation," the police spokesman added.
44 people were killed and dozens more were injured on Thursday night in a mass stampede during Lag Ba’Omer celebrations on Mount Meron.
Paramedics from Magen David Adom and United Hatzalah provided treatment to the victims, including several who were unconscious, and evacuated them to Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital in Jerusalem, Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Ziv Hospital in Tzfat, Poriya Hospital in Tiberias and the Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya.