World

Mother and three children die after being hit by bus in northern Israel

September 30, 2021
Bharat Times English News

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.

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.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett tweeted on Wednesday evening: “Heartbreak at the light of images from the hard crash in Upper Galilee.” landed back in israel from his trip to the United States. “The people of Israel are praying for the recovery of the victims. I urge the Israeli public to take extra precautions to drive safely and with caution.”

“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.”

A bus collided with a van and a private car in the Galilee region of Israel. (credit: United Hatjalah) A bus collided with a van and a private car in the Galilee region of Israel. (credit: United Hatjalah)

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) 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.”

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.

Others were taken to Ziv Medical Center in Safed, of whom three are in critical condition, with six with minor injuries and the rest with minor injuries. Many more reached Nahariya. After the condition of a teenager deteriorated, she was later referred to Rambam.

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) 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.

A hotline has been set up for the public to receive information about the accident at 125-5161.