At least two worshippers were killed and more than 200 injured on Sunday when a grandstand collapsed in a crowded synagogue in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Israel's national ambulance service said.

Video footage on Israeli TV channels showed the collapse taking place on the eve of the Jewish holiday of Shavuot at the synagogue in Givat Zeev, an Israeli settlement outside Jerusalem.

A police spokesman said some 650 worshippers were attending the gathering.

The event was held in a partially constructed synagogue. The local mayor and senior fire brigade and police officers said it had gone ahead despite the lack of a permit and official warnings that the building zone was unsafe.

About two weeks ago, 45 Jewish pilgrims were crushed to death on Mount Meron in northern Israel after a narrow passageway collapsed during an annual religious festival.

(Cover: Jewish worshippers and rescue workers stand outside a synagogue where a grandstand collapsed during a religious celebration in Givat Zeev, in the occupied West Bank, May 16, 2021. /Reuters)

(With input from Xinhua and Reuters)