3 killed after car crashes through guardrail on West Bank road

Three people were killed when a car they were traveling in crashed through a guardrail on a West Bank road and rolled down an embankment early Wednesday morning, medics said.

The three, men in their 20s, were declared dead at the scene following the crash on Route 60 near the Givat Asaf outpost east of Ramallah at around 5 a.m., the Magen David Adom rescue service said.

Three others were injured, including a 16-year-old boy with serious injuries. Another teen and a 30-year-old man were listed in moderate condition.

The cause of the crash was not immediately clear. The identity of those in the car was not released for publication.

Israel’s Fire and Rescue Service in the West Bank said three people, including two of the fatalities, were initially found trapped in the vehicle piled on each other and needed to be extracted using jaws of life.

An MDA rescuer said in a statement medics arriving on the scene found three of the men beyond saving. The 16-year-old, who had been trapped in the vehicle, was given first aid and rushed to a hospital, he said.

According to Israel’s Road Safety Authority, which also covers West Bank routes policed by Israel, there have been 66 traffic deaths so far in 2024, not including those killed Wednesday morning. The figure is down from 77 at this point last year and 76 the year before.