Bus after accident
Photo: Shmulik Grossman
47 injured in bus crash at Arava junction
Paramedics say bus coming from Ramallah hit security rails, injuring 36 lightly and 11 lightly-moderately
Dozens of people were injured Sunday when a bus filled with passengers hit the security rail at Beit Ha'arava junction near the Dead Sea. Paramedics say 47 people were injured. Eleven of them sustained light to moderate wounds, while the rest were lightly injured.
Police and Magen David Adom received word of the accident at 11:30 pm, and large forces were alerted to the scene.
Nisim Yazdi, a paramedic from Jerualem, told Ynet that the bus had come from Ramallah and was carrying Palestinian passengers of all ages.
"In the area of Beit Ha'arava junction it cut through the security rails but did not overturn. It stayed on all four tires but took a serious blow to the front," Yazdi said.
He added that the bus had stopped just millimeters before a 4-meter ditch, and sank into sand. "If it had drifted a little more the damage would have been much greater," he said.
Paramedics say eight of the passengers were evacuated to Jericho by the Red Crescent and the rest to Jerusalem hospitals.
