JERUSALEM (REUTERS) - Israel's government watchdog said on Monday (May 3) it would open an investigation into the deaths of 45 people crushed in a stampede at a Jewish religious festival last week.

State Comptroller Matanyahu Englman said his office, which audits the government, would look into the circumstances surrounding the event at Mount Meron in the Galilee region. "I wish to announce today that I intend to open a special audit that will investigate the circumstances that led to this tragedy," he told reporters.