4 Israelis remain critical after deadly South Korea bus accident
18 of 32 injured to return to Israel in coming days; 14 still hospitalized
Fourteen Israelis remained hospitalized Sunday in South Korea after a fatal bus accident in the country last week, four of them in critical condition.
A bus carrying dozens of Israeli tourists overturned in Chungju, in the north of the country, on Thursday, killing one woman — Margarita Schwartzberg, 60, of Hadera — and injuring 32 tourists on board.
The South Korean driver and tour guide were also hospitalized with injuries, local authorities said.
Eighteen other injured Israelis were expected to return to Israel on Sunday and Monday to continue their medical care, according to Hebrew media reports.
The accident happened while the passengers were on an organized tour. The bus was on its way from Chungju to Andong.
The South Korean Yonhap news agency said the driver of the bus told police investigators the crash occurred to to a malfunction that made it impossible to shift gears, causing the bus to stall and roll backwards.
Eyewitnesses told the news agency they saw the bus stop on a hill and then slide backwards before flipping over.
Images in local media showed the bus, its windscreen shattered, lying on its side on a tree-lined road with debris strewn around it
The Israeli embassy in Seoul was making efforts to transfer Schwartzberg’s remains to Israel in the coming days.
“The Foreign Ministry and the Israeli Embassy in South Korea, in coordination with the insurance companies and the relevant parties, continue to assist those injured in the accident and to ensure they receive the proper care, so that they may return to the country as soon as possible,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement Sunday.
The Times of Israel Community.