5 killed in crash in north
Collision between bus and truck on Akko-Carmiel road leaves dozens of people injured
Five people were killed when an Egged bus number 361 collided with a truck at Gilon Junction on the Akko-Carmiel road Thursday. Two were pronounced dead on the spot and three died on their way to the hospital.
The victims were identified as Captain Aviv El-Dan, 25, IAF officer from Carmiel; Major Saleh Abdullah, 42, Prison Service officer from Kisra in the Western Galilee; Zohar Zehavi, 56, from Haifa; Sgt. Inna Svardelov, 21, from Safed and 62-year-old Asher Nidam, also from Safed.
Dozens of people were injured, five of them in serious condition. Large police and Magen David Adom forces, assisted by a helicopter, treated the injured and evacuated them to hospitals in the area.
Emergency services reported that some 30 people were injured, five of them in serious condition, five of them in moderate condition, and the remainder sustained light wounds. Dozens of ambulances and a helicopter took part in the rescue effort.
Bus involved in crash (Photo: David, www.hnn.co.il)
The Galilee District Police said the accident took place when one of the vehicles deviated from its lane, and as a result, the sides of the two vehicles collided.
Heavy traffic in the area initially hindered the rescue teams from reaching the injured. Roads in the area were subsequently closed off to traffic.
Firefighters from stations around the western Galilee were alerted to the crash site, and rescued the injured from the bus. The wounded were evacuated to hospitals in Haifa and Nahariya, and a mass casualty incident was declared.
The Egged bus company issued a statement following the incident: "At this point, it is unclear what caused the accident. It is a very serious accident."
The accident took place around 5:20 pm, on the road between Akko and Carmiel, not far from Ahihud junction.
An initial police probes revealed that the bus, which was in the midst of overtaking the truck, deviated from its lane and hit the semitrailer's left side with its right.
Galilee District Police traffic investigators said the probe was very complex. Head of the police's traffic division, Superintendent Eitan Raz, told Ynet it would take some time until final conclusions could be drawn. The possibility that the truck was parked on the side of the road is also being looked into.
Drivers' stories
The truck driver, Kamal Taha, who was also injured in the accident and evacuated to hospital, told Ynet he had parked his truck on the side of the road to assist another driver, when he saw the bus approaching his vehicle. "I just remember parking my truck on the side of the road. I did not disrupt anyone and I did not break the law, when the bus suddenly crashed into me."
The bus' driver was detained around midnight, and has yet to give his version of events. Police detectives said they are waiting for his physical state to improve, and he is likely to be questioned on Friday.
A police officer was stationed outside the driver's hospital room, and the police will decide on Friday whether or not to extend his remand.
Paramedic Amos Dadon who was among the first to arrive at the scene said, "It was a very difficult sight. People and things were thrown out of the bus, lying there injured. Others were trapped in the puss and paramedics, along with passersby, went in and rescued them until the firefighters arrived."
Yisrael Lichtenstein of the Hatzalah rescue service told Ynet, "The bus was torn all along its side, it was a difficult site; it looked like a terror attack. I personally dealt with two of the dead and there were dozens of others injured in serious condition."
Hagai Einav, Sharon Roffe-Ofir and Raanan Ben-Zur contributed to this report
