6 killed, at least 12 hurt when bus hits parked truck
Three children said to be among fatalities in deadly crash on Route 1 between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv; police say no foul play suspected after questioning drivers
Six people — three of them said to be children — were killed and a dozen were injured in a collision between a bus and a truck in central Israel on Sunday evening.
The collision took place on the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv Highway 1, near the Anava Interchange, east of Ramle. According to a United Hatzalah paramedic, three of the fatalities were children.
About 12 others suffered injuries, some of them serious, paramedics said. At least two of the passengers were in critical condition.
The ultra-Orthodox website Kikar Hashabat identified three of the victims: Yaakov Meir Hashin, 27, from Jerusalem; Yisrael Weinberg, 26, also from Jerusalem; and Levi Yitzhak Amdadi, 17, of Yavne’el in northern Israel.
הותר לפרסום שמו של הרוג שלישי מהתאונה בכביש 1: לוי יצחק אמדדי ז"ל, בן 16 מיבנאל https://t.co/AJJP8zqilD pic.twitter.com/j8nXNy4eNE
— כיכר השבת (@kikarhashabat) February 14, 2016
“It is a difficult scene, with a bus that likely crashed into a truck on the shoulder [of the highway],” said United Hatzalah paramedic Yehiel Miller. “Unfortunately, when I arrived on the scene, I came across a boy and two girls who were unconscious, with no pulse and who were not breathing. Also, several adults who were unconscious and a lot of passengers who were conscious and suffered injuries.”
The bus was the 402 line from Jerusalem to Bnei Brak. It was filled to capacity with passengers, according to Channel 2.
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The driver of the truck, an East Jerusalem native, suffered light injuries and was detained by police. The bus driver was later held for questioning as well, the Walla news website reported.
Photos of the collision showed the right side of the bus wrenched apart. Channel 2 reported that the truck’s crane ripped the bus open, injuring and killing passengers seated on the right side.
Drivers were advised to avoid Route 1.
The Times of Israel Community.