Two people were killed and 167 injured after a bleacher collapsed inside a synagogue in Givat Ze’ev, an Israeli settlement near Jerusalem, on Sunday.
The bleacher of the synagogue, located in an incomplete building not yet approved for use, collapsed during prayers at the beginning of the Shavuot holiday celebrations. Known as “tribunas” in Israel, bleachers are packed with parishioners who stand or dance in celebration.
Rescue workers arrived at the scene to treat the wounded, whilst others who were seriously injured were rushed to hospital. The deaths of a 40-year-old man and a 12-year-old boy were also confirmed.
The collapse comes just 16 days after 45 people were crushed to death in a stampede in northern Israel.