Eight people were killed and at least 40 others were injured Thursday when a bus and a truck collided in Adam Square in northern Jerusalem. Some of the injured are said to be in critical and serious condition.
Large police, Fire and Rescue and EMT teams are at the scene. Red Crescent teams are assisting in the rescue and triage efforts. Magen David Adom has declared the incident a mass causality event.
Scene of the crash (Photo courtesy of ZAKA)
The injured were rushed to Hadassah Mount Scopus and Hadassah Ein Kerem hospitals in Jerusalem
Hadassah Mount Scopus spokesman Ron Kromer confirmed that three children were admitted to the medical center's burn unit, suffering from extensive burns to their face. "They are in very serious condition," he said.
According to available details, the bus was transporting Palestinian children from Qalandiya and flipped over from the force of the collision.
Danny Rotenberg, MDA spokesman in the Jerusalem sector, told Ynet that "This was a head-on collision between a truck and a bus transporting children.
"The force of the collision caused the bus to flip over and catch fire. We have 10 casualties on the scene and we are making sure that there aren’t any more."
'A difficult sight.' Scene of the crash (Photo: Ohad Zwigenberg)
The Israeli and Palestinian police are collaborating on the investigation.
Benzion Oring, head of ZAKA's Jerusalem office, told Ynet that that the Disaster Victim Identification teams had trouble finding the scene at first, as the area is close to Palestinian villages.
"By 9 am MDA declared a mass casualty event. We arrived at the scene after we made sure to get the necessary permits. Red Crescent teams and local volunteers were in the midst of a rescue operation and we were told that the bodies of several children had already been evacuated.
"The truck driver had apparently sustained mediocre wounds. Any scene that involves children is always very difficult," he said.
The Civil Administration has liaised with Palestinian authorities to assist in the evacuation efforts.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared three days of mourning following the tragic accident.
AP and Reuters contributed to this report
First published: 09:27, 02.16.12