Horrific disaster in Meron: 45 dead and 112 injured from crowding at a fire

April 30, 2021   

The greatest civil disaster in Israel since the founding of the state occurred tonight (Friday night), during the lighting of the Toldot Aharon in honor of the Rashbi's celebration in Meron, due to extreme pressure. It's time to wake up: your dream has a home – and it's about to come true. How? Free: How much money are you losing because you don't know what your rights are? What do you say about white chocolate with cookie crumbs? And what about a tasty snack? About 150 revelers were crushed in the terrible crush, and 45 people were killed in the terrible disaster. MDA and United Hatzalah medics and paramedics provided medical treatment at the scene to dozens of injured people in various levels of condition, including serious ones. 6 helicopters were dispatched to the scene, including the Air Force, which evacuated the injured to hospitals. In addition, MDA ambulances are evacuating the injured to Ziv and Galilee hospitals in Nahariya. The IDF Spokesperson's Office reported: A short time ago, rescue brigade fighters were deployed and Air Force helicopters were dispatched with fighters from Unit 669 to assist on Mount Meron.

Photo: Chen Yasnitz, documentation of MDA operations

MDA spokesman Zaki Heller said tonight: MDA medics and paramedics provided medical treatment to 150 injured people, and evacuated them to hospitals: • 6 injured people in critical condition • 18 in serious condition • 8 in moderate condition • 80 in mild condition. There were injured people who could not be saved in the area. The injured were evacuated to hospitals: Ziv in Safed - 54 injured people, including: 6 in critical condition, 13 in serious condition, 4 in moderate condition, 31 in mild condition. Lapuria - 25 injured people, including: 2 in moderate condition, 23 in mild condition. Galil in Nahariya 26 injured people, including: 1 in moderate condition, 25 in mild condition. Rambam - 5 injured, including: 4 serious, 1 moderate. Hadassah Ein Kerem - 1 serious. HaEmek Hospital - 1 minor. Yehuda Gottlieb, a United Hatzalah medic who encountered the collapse and called the forces, said: "I was on security at the scene and came across a collapse of dozens of people who fell on top of each other. Some were trampled and lost consciousness. I immediately asked the United Hatzalah call center to call additional forces to the scene and reported that urgent medical assistance was needed for dozens of injured." Lazer Heyman, Deputy Director of the United Hatzalah Volunteer Headquarters: "This is a very difficult event that I have not experienced since 2000, when I entered the field of saving human lives.".   Dov Meisel, Deputy Director of Operations for United Hatzalah: "Due to the nature of the event, the Hosn teams - the mental first aid unit of United Hatzalah - provided and are providing assistance to a large number of anxiety victims who encountered the difficult scene." Eli Pollak, CEO of United Hatzalah, who also arrived at the scene: "This is a very unusual event in its scope and unfortunately human lives were lost. Dozens of United Hatzalah volunteers participated in the resuscitation operations and provided assistance to about a hundred victims in various situations - some of whom were evacuated to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed, Rambam in Haifa, and Western Galilee in Nahariya in United Hatzalah ambulances." Yosef Haim Ben Zion, a United Hatzalah medic who participated in the resuscitation operations: "There are a number of serious injuries and a large number of moderate and light injuries. United Hatzalah paramedics and medics are participating in the resuscitation and providing assistance to the injured." ZAKA-Israel Director General Hezi Shebaks: "All the injured have been evacuated from the area. The dead are at the scene. I have been to many difficult events, but I have never seen a shocking event like today. Everyone who was with me in the area burst into tears.".

Abigail Beer from United Hatzalah talks about the scene of the serious incident and the evacuation of a 17-year-old victim, while performing CPR.

Itai from the Mevot Hermon rescue unit said: "The sights are not simple. The place looks like a scene of destruction, it looks like railings have been moved there. I can't say if there was a collapse or not, the rescuer did a bad job there. All that remains for us is to help evacuate the injured and look for trapped people. Every year we are on alert for this, there is no doubt that, like the events we saw abroad - this is a serious event and we need to make sure that it doesn't happen again in the future." Tens of thousands of partygoers on the mountain are being evacuated with the help of police forces and volunteers - and all roads to Mount Meron have been blocked. Following the disaster and fearing for public safety, the commander of the Northern District of the police ordered a complete halt to transportation and a ban on entry to Mount Meron. The shuttles have also stopped their activities until permission is received from the Israel Police. Empty buses will continue to go up to the mountain to drop off passengers. The police called on the public on the mountain to reach the shuttle stations and parking lots so that all visitors can be evacuated. "We ask all visitors on their way to Mount Meron to "To retrace their steps, the entrances to the mountain have been closed and visitors will not be allowed to arrive." Police spokesman Eli Levy: "The serious incident is being investigated, the commissioner is at the scene, we currently have no further details, the investigation is in its early stages and it is still not clear what led to this incident." The spokesman added: "We are evacuating the roads in favor of the rescue forces. All people still on the mountain must be evacuated by buses. Right now we are focused on saving lives and we will update you later about the investigation.". The Ministry of Transportation stated that following the disaster and the decision of the Israel Police, all buses and trains on the way to Meron are returning to their departure points. The ministry also stated: "Following the disaster and the decision of the police to end the event immediately, we are preparing to transport hundreds of buses and several emergency trains, each designed for over 1,000 passengers, to return the revelers to their homes. "This is a complex logistical preparation and requires patience from the passengers." Deputy Minister of Transportation Uri Maklev said after assessing the situation at the Shkrek Transportation Command on Mount Meron: "The Ministry of Transportation is deploying the emergency trains and buses to quickly evacuate the entire crowd. Currently, there are closed roads to evacuate the injured. We ask the public to be patient.".

Photo: David Cohen Flash90, United Hatzalah and Israel Yosef

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