A bus crash near Haifa in northern Israel injures at least 35 people, April 21, 2016. (United Hatzalah)
A 17-year-old girl injured in a bus crash in the Carmel Tunnel near Haifa Thursday evening died at a local hospital Friday morning.
The teen, later named as Or Elbaz of Haifa, was pronounced dead at the Carmel Medical Center in Haifa.
The bus driver involved in the deadly crash was remanded into police custody after he was released from hospital on Friday.
The driver claimed that a technical failure caused the crash, Army Radio reported. Police were checking every possibility, including the driver’s inattention.
At least 54 people were hurt, some critically, in the accident in northern Israel. As of Friday morning, 35 people remained hospitalized, according to Ynet. Five remained in serious condition.
Get The Times of Israel's Daily Editionby email and never miss our top stories
According to the Magen David Adom emergency medical service, one person sustained critical injuries, six people were severely wounded, and seven more were in moderate condition. The remaining casualties were all lightly injured.
According to initial reports, the bus swerved into a wall in the tunnel. Channel 10, however, reported that the accident occurred between the bus and a truck.
The tunnels were closed to traffic in both directions.
Advertisement
Is The Times of Israel important to you?
If so, we have a request.
Every day, even during war, our journalists keep you abreast of the most important developments that merit your attention. Millions of people rely on ToI for fast, fair and free coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
We care about Israel - and we know you do too. So today, we have an ask: show your appreciation for our work by joining The Times of Israel Community, an exclusive group for readers like you who appreciate and financially support our work.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
You clearly find our careful reporting valuable, in a time when facts are often distorted and news coverage often lacks context.
Your support is essential to continue our work. We want to continue delivering the professional journalism you value, even as the demands on our newsroom have grown dramatically since October 7.
So today, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. For as little as $6 a month you'll become our partners while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel