A car slammed into a cafe in central Israel on Thursday morning, wounding at least 12 people.
Medical authorities said one woman appears to be in a serious condition. One other victim sustained moderate wounds, with the rest suffering mild injuries.
Footage of the car slamming into cafe in Bat Yam
According to the police, the 78-year-old driver of the vehicle lost control of the wheel and swerved off the road into the sidewalk on Rothschild Street in Bat Yam, where the local Aroma branch is located. The driver has sustained light injuries to his chest.
Police opened an investigation into the incident and the section of road at the location was blocked to traffic.
Magen David Adom emergency services received a call about the incident at 10:46am and a team of paramedics was dispatched to the scene. The paramedics began providing medical care to the wounded and evacuated them to Wolfson Medical Center in Holon.
MDA reported the woman who was seriously hurt appears to be in her 60s and she sustained a multi-systemic injury. She is anesthetized but breathingo n her own.
Moshe Shemer, an eyewitness, said he initilly thought the accident was a terror attack.
"The driver parked next to me. I was waiting in the car, and suddenly I heard a loud blast. I thought it was a bomb. He drove into the plants [on the sidewalk] and I immediately got out of the car. From what I understand, he was driving in reverse at high speed. Everyone was shouting like it was a terror attack."