One killed, 5 injured, as parked bus rolls into teens at army tryouts in south

Vehicle began moving while driver was outside, hit tents used by young men; some of the injured were trapped under vehicle

An empty bus rolled and hit a group of young Israelis while they were attending tryouts for a military unit on Thursday afternoon near the kibbutz of Shomria in southern Israel, killing one of them.

The vehicle was parked near a group of tents used by the teenagers. The driver was outside it when it suddenly began rolling towards the tents. Some managed to run out of the way, while others were hit.

Six were injured in the accident, the Magen David Adom emergency services said. One of the young men, who was critically hurt and was being treated at the scene, was later pronounced dead. Five others were evacuated, two of them in moderate condition and three lightly injured.

Two of the recruits were evacuated via helicopter to Soroka Medical Center and the others were taken from the scene in ambulances, MDA said.

Emergency personnel arrived at the scene to find the six suffering from injuries to their torsos, stomachs and heads. One was unconscious, MDA said.

“The told us they got injured by the bus when it rolled and landed on its side,” said MDA paramedic Yonatan Popkin.

Israel Defense Forces military police and the Israel Police opened an investigation into the incident, the IDF said in a statement.

Three helicopters landed at the scene to evacuate the wounded, the Hatzalah emergency services said.

Some of the injured had been trapped under the bus, and IDF medical personnel were assisting in the rescue, Hatzalah said.

The teenagers were taking part in a tryout for a volunteer-only combat unit, known in Hebrew as a gibush. The incident occurred near the main training base for the paratroopers brigade in the northern Negev.