Medics and first responders arrive at the scene of the Lag B'Omer event in Mount Meron in northern Israel.
(CNN) ––
At least 28 people were killed in a stampede during a mass religious gathering in northern Israel, according to a spokesman for the ZAKA emergency service.
Attendees will celebrate the religious holiday of Lag B'Omer, he said.
Another emergency service, Magen David Adom (MDA), said through a spokesman that at least 50 people were injured in the meeting, 20 of them seriously.
The injuries were due to overcrowding and were not caused by the collapse of any structure at the site, spokesman Zaki Heller explained.
In that sense, the official refuted the initial reports that the place had collapsed.
In addition to MDA ambulances, six helicopters were used to transport the injured to hospitals, Heller said.
Stampede
