A car crash on Highway 90, near the Arava Junction, claimed the lives of five members of the same family, Ynet learned Monday.
The crash – a head-on collision between a car and a truck – took place about a mile off the Arava Junction. The truck driver, Muhammad al-Jabor, suffered moderate injuries and was rushed to the Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba. The driver and passengers of the smaller vehicle – a man, his mother, sister, wife and toddler son – all Eilat residents – perished.
The car was reportedly engulfed by flames within moments of the accident, leaving the people in it no chance to escape.
Scene of the accident (Photo: Herzel Yosef)
Emergency crews called to the site had no choice but to declare the five dead on the scene; nevertheless, the final cause of death will be determined only after an official autopsy.
'A horrific sight'
Fire fighters and Magen David Adom paramedics called to the scene of the accident told Ynet that the sight of the car and the victims was horrific.
"We couldn't get near the car because of it was blazing," MDA paramedic Moshe Asulin, whose team was first on the scene, told Ynet.
The truck (Photo: Herzel Yosef)
"Once the fire was out all we could do was pray our eyes were deceiving us. We saw four charred bodies. We kept hoping maybe someone could be saved – the toddler's body was thrown clear of the car and we attempted CPR, but there was nothing we could do.
"Eventually, all we and the other ambulances called to the scene could do was take the bodies away."
Muhammad al-Jabor, 24, was questioned by police Monday evening. He reportedly told investigators he veered off lane when a sudden bump to the head, caused when the truck's overhead glove compartment opened unexpectedly, distracted him.
Police source told Ynet Jabor's version of the event was implausible and that the investigation into the lethal crash was ongoing.
Shmulik Hadad and Ahuva Mamos contributed to this report