A mother and her three children, most of them children and teenagers, were killed in a fatal collision between a commercial van and a bus carrying 40 passengers on Highway 89 in Galilee on Wednesday.
A 35-year-old woman, her 15 and 12-year-old sons and a five-year-old daughter were among the four passengers in the private vehicle.
The fifth death was that of a man who was hit by an overturned bus and suffered multiple limb crush injuries.
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The bus was carrying a group of children in the Bunny Akiva youth movement, 17 of whom are from the northern city of Mevo Dotan.
According to reports, the bus first hit the van and then hit the car. It then overturned at least three times, finally landing on its side, as seen in video footage circulated on social media.
Both the van and the car were crushed in the collision. The occupants of the car were trapped unconscious until the fire and rescue services teams managed to get them out of the vehicle. Once they were removed from the car, Magen David Adom (MDA) paramedics were forced to declare all four family members dead.
In the overturned bus, most of the passengers managed to get out of the bus safely and suffered only mild or moderate injuries, but the 76-year-old bus driver of Kiryat Yam died in the accident.
Hearts are torn in front of the scenes of the horrific accident in Upper Galilee.
I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences and a big hug to the families of those killed in this difficult time.
The entire nation of Israel prays for the healing of the wounded.
I urge the Israeli public to be extremely careful about careful road travel.
That we don’t know misery anymore.– Naftali Bennett (ftnaftalibennett) September 29, 2021
“My son is mostly scared,” the mother of one of the children on the bus told N12. “He sustained some bumps from the flip. He is on his way to Nahariya’s hospital.”
The youths were returning home from Sukot with the Akiva group made in Harish, a small town near the accident site. Most of the 35 children on the bus suffered mild or moderate injuries.
“We thought the bus accelerated for some unknown reason, and then we rolled over three or four times,” Bunny Akiva counselor said.
“He said he was talking to a friend and suddenly there was a loud bang and he said the bus turned around and they fell,” the mother continued, recounting the dramatic moments of the accident. “The children started crying. Most of the children were on the bus.”
— news 13 (@newssisrael13) September 29, 2021
Three fire and rescue teams from the Central Galilee district, as well as three additional teams that were called in to help, rescued and evacuated the victims.
Fire and Rescue, Magen David Adom and United Hatzala paramedics try to evacuate victims of a fatal accident in Galilee when a bus collided with a van and car, killing at least five and injuring dozens . (credit: Fire and Rescue Service)
Additionally, Unit 669, a search-and-rescue unit of the Israel Air Force, and three helicopters along with IDF medical staff were called to the scene to assist with the evacuation, which lasted several hours.
The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya announced mass casualty protocols prepared for the arrival of victims.
Police are investigating the circumstances of the accident, the cause of which is not yet clear. As per initial assessment, the bus deviated from its lane and collided with two other vehicles.
The police have also requested that residents avoid coming into the area and are directing cars away from the road, which remains blocked.
“I was horrified to hear about the fatal accident in Upper Galilee. My heart is with the victims,” tweeted the head of the opposition Benjamin Netanyahu. “My wife and I embrace their families and pray for the health of the injured. Huh.”
I heard in shock about the fatal car accident in Upper Galilee. My condolences to those injured in the accident. My wife and I hug their families and pray for the injured.
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) September 29, 2021
Some 48 victims were taken to hospitals in the north. A man in critical condition, aged 30, was taken in an MDA helicopter to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa, and two children – 11- and 13-year-olds – were evacuated by an IDF helicopter.
Bus accident in the north: injured helicopter landed at Rambam Hospital in Haifa
(Michael Wasserman, Photo: Rambam Hospital) pic.twitter.com/BNpTDbqYce— news here (@kann_news) September 29, 2021
Fire and Rescue, Magen David Adom and United Hatzala paramedics try to evacuate victims of a fatal accident in Galilee when a bus collided with a van and car, killing at least five and injuring dozens . (credit: United Hatjalah)
Representatives of the Mewo Dotan Regional Council are in contact with several Bunny Akiva passengers’ homes, hospitals and emergency services and report that all parents of the children involved in the accident have been notified.
“The council stands ready to assist and provide the necessary assistance to the families,” said Yossi Degan, head of the Samaria Regional Council.
“I heard about the terrible accident in the North. I pray with all the people of Israel for the recovery of the injured,” tweeted Bezel Smotrich, the head of the religious Zionist party, a prayer from the book of Psalms.
I heard about the serious accident in the north. I pray with all the people of Israel for the healing of the wounded. pic.twitter.com/Ju4y5Apl7y— bezel smutrich (@bezalesm) September 29, 2021
A hotline has been set up for the public to receive information about the accident at 125-5161.