Train, truck collide in south

MOSHAV AHUZAM - Thirty five people were wounded Friday when a Beer Sheva-Tel Aviv train slammed into a truck near the southern city of Kiryat Gat.

At least one person – the train conductor – was evacuated by Magen David Adom crews to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva, where he was listed in critical condition.

Yehuda Sasson, assistant director of Magen David Adom’s Lachish unit, told Ynet most other injuries were minor, but said several people have been taken to Soroka and Barzilai Hospitals with moderate wounds.

Lachish region police commander Amnon Levi said the truck driver notified his employer the vehicle was stuck on the track, and both claim they reported the information to police.

Police say they received notification of a truck stuck on the train track, but say they couldn’t stop the train in time.

Home for Shabbat

Most passengers on the train were soldiers on their ways home for Shabbat. Following the crash, many left the scene on foot to search for alternate ways to get home for the weekend.

Truck got stuck on tracks

Benny Naor, spokesman for Israel Railways, told Ynet, “the 10:30 Beer Sheva-Tel Aviv train collided with a truck, or some other vehicle, somewhere between Kiryat Gat and Moshav Ahuzam. We have no specific information about the intensity of the crash."

Naor also said train service out of Beer Sheva has been suspended, but said trains continued to serve Kiryat Gat and points north.

An IDF helicopter is also on the scene to assist with rescue efforts.

The crash is the second major incident in the area in less than a month. On June 21, a train derailed between Lod and Kiryat Gat, killing seven people and wounding more than 200.