Two engineers arrested for Mount Meron disaster that claimed 45 lives

State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman announced last week the launch of a special investigation into the disaster.

By TPS and World Israel News Staff

Two engineers who signed the safety plans for the disastrous Lag B’Omer events on Mount Meron were detained Monday morning for questioning by the police, and the police raided the two’s homes.

One of the men served as a safety manager and the other as a safety consultant. The two are so far the only officials involved in the tragedy who were arrested.

Forty-five people were crushed to death and hundreds were injured, some critically, during the holiday celebration as they slipped and fell on the slippery metal flooring in the sloped tunnel. More than 100,000 worshipers attended the event.

A mistake by police moments before the tragedy unfolded shortly after midnight Friday may have contributed to the calamity that befell revelers trapped in a narrow tunnel

State Comptroller Matanyahu Engelman announced last week the launch of a special investigation into the disaster.

No politician has stepped forward and assumed responsibility for Israel’s worst civilian tragedy. Several ministries were involved in planning various aspects of one of the country’s largest annual festivals, but there was no supreme manager.

The Police’s Internal Affairs has already announced it will probe the police officers’ conduct during the event.