Man killed, 10 injured in crash in major intersection near Kiryat Malachi
Minibus crushed as it slams into truck at Qastina Junction; woman seriously injured; roads blocked, causing massive traffic during morning rush hour
A man was killed Wednesday morning and 10 people were injured when a minibus crashed into the back of a truck in a major intersection near the city of Kiryat Malachi, south of Ashdod.
The 50-year-old man was in the front part of the minibus, which was crushed by the impact just before 5 a.m. He suffered massive organ failure and was declared dead at the scene at Qastina Junction, according to the Magen David Adom ambulance service.
Paramedics took 10 others to Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot and Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon, including a woman in her 40s who was seriously injured.
Four people were in moderate condition, while five people, including the truck driver, suffered mild injuries.
גבר כבן 50 נהרג ועשרה בני אדם נפצעו בתאונה בין משאית למיניבוס ליד קריית מלאכי. בין הפצועים, אישה במצב קשה וארבעה פצועים בינוני.
זירת התאונה בכביש 40
(צילום: תיעוד מבצעי מד"א) pic.twitter.com/tffHgLksk0— ynet עדכוני (@ynetalerts) February 19, 2020
“When we arrived, we noticed a very serious crash, we saw a truck standing on the side of the road and a minibus that had crashed into its back side and was crushed,” said MDA paramedic Henry Zarour.
“A man about 50 years old was trapped in the front part of the minibus, he suffered massive organ failure and was unconscious,” he added. “He was without vital signs and we pronounced his death. About ten of the minibus passengers, men and women in their 30s and 40s, were injured. Some were out of the vehicle and some were trapped inside it.”
The junction was closed in all directions following the accident, causing major traffic in the area during the morning’s rush hour, while police officers came to the scene to investigate the circumstances of the crash.
Qastina Junction between Routes 40 and 3 is the main intersection in the area and serves as a major transportation hub, to the point where it is considered the central bus station of the nearby city of Kiryat Malachi. It is a common stop for Israelis traveling between the country’s center and the south.
The Times of Israel Community.