Story By: William McGee, Sub-Editor: James King, Agency: Newsflash
This is the moment a stand known as a bleacher collapses at a synagogue, killing an adult man and a schoolboy aged 12 and seriously injuring five others.
The incident took place at the ultra-Orthodox Karlin synagogue in the Israeli settlement of Giv’at Ze’ev in the occupied West Bank on the evening of 16th May.
Footage taken at the ultra-Orthodox event commemorating the Jewish festival of Shavuot shows how the synagogue was crammed full with standing and dancing male worshippers.
The bleachers which are known as “tribunas” in Israel allow parishioners to stand above a group of tables where the community leaders are gathered.
In all, 167 were injured when the bleacher unexpectedly collapsed. The emergency services were called to the scene and transported the injured to hospitals in the city of Jerusalem, around 20 minutes away by car.
Of the injured, five were in a serious condition and 10 in a moderate condition. The remainder escaped with light injuries.
The two dead have not been named but have been identified as two males, aged 40 and 12 respectively.
According to the local police, the building had not been granted a permit to house the synagogue and the authorities had issued an order prohibiting services from taking place there.
The tragedy comes on the heels of the Meron crowd crush, in which 45 males, aged 13 to 65, were crushed to death during a pilgrimage to the tomb of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai on the Jewish religious holiday of Lag BaOmer in the early hours of 30th April.
The Israeli police have said they will investigate the latest incident.
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