Dozens of people were killed in a stampede at a religious festival in Israel

• Dozens of people were killed in a stampede at a Lag B'Omer event held in Israel early Friday morning.
• Tens of thousands of people, many ultra-Orthodox Jews, were gathered for the festival.
• The cause of the stampede was not immediately clear.

Dozens of people were killed and hundreds were injured during a stampede at a religious festival in Israel, officials said early Friday. Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported at least 44 people were killed.

The event in northern Israel drew tens of thousands of people, many of which were ultra-Orthodox Jews, The Associated Press reported.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was praying for the victims, calling the incident a "heavy disaster," Reuters reported.

People had gathered at the foot of Mount Meron for the Lag B'Omer festival, which occurs annually at the Galilee tomb of second-century sage Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. The event typically lasts through the night and includes prayer, song and dance, and bonfires. Video of the event showed a massive crowd jumping in unison to music.

The cause of the stampede was not immediately clear. Witnesses said some people were "asphyxiated or trampled in a passageway," according to Reuters. Photos and videos shared online showed people crammed together in tight spaces while trying to move.

Israel's national emergency medical service and the military sent medics to the site. The emergency medical service tweeted it was treating 103 victims. Dozens of ambulances and rescue workers could be seen at the site.

AP reported it was the first legal religious gathering held in Israel since the country's COVID-19 restrictions had been lifted following its remarkably fast vaccine rollout.