Palestinian man dead as bus and tow truck collide in West Bank

A Palestinian man was killed and 11 other people were injured in a head-on collision between a Palestinian tow truck and an Israeli bus near the West Bank settlement of Petzael on Monday.

Paramedics arrived at the scene on Route 90 in the center of the Jordan Valley to find two Palestinians trapped inside the tow truck.

While they were forced to declare the death of the driver, 32, his passenger, a man in his 20s, was rescued and airlifted in serious condition to a Jerusalem hospital for treatment, a spokesman for the Magen David Adom emergency service said.

Of the 10 Israelis on the Egged bus, five were taken to hospitals in Jerusalem and Afula, including one passenger with moderate injuries. The other four suffered light wounds, according to authorities.

The remaining five received treatment by first responders at the scene but did not require further attention.

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The circumstances of the collision are still being investigated, the Israel Police said.

Route 90 traverses Israel’s eastern edge from north to south, and the segment in the West Bank winds through hilly areas on the edge of the Jordan Valley.

West Bank fatalities in 2017 are on pace to reach an all-time high with 42 people already killed — the same number as last year which had been the highest.