Nine bus passengers in southern Israel were injured on Tuesday when a teen sprayed tear gas inside the vehicle before fleeing the scene. The police believe that the incident was a prank gone bad and not an attempted terror attack.
"The entire bus was full of smoke," one witness said. "Our eyes started stinging. We began to suffocate."
The injured passengers were taken to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba. One of them was hospitalized in moderate condition, while the others were lightly wounded. The bus was traveling on a Dimona-Beersheba route.
Scene of crime (Photo: Herzel Yosef)
Witnesses and other sources claimed that a Bedouin teen was behind the incident. The police launched an investigation.
A Magen David Adom paramedic told Ynet that eleven emergency services vehicles were dispatched to treat the hurt passengers, one of whom felt chest pains.
Shlomi Kodish, a hospital administrator, said that the remaining victims suffered eye and breathing problems. The patients were questioned by the police while being treated.