Recap of Fatal Bus Accident in S. Israel

It is now confirmed that eight people were killed in the Tuesday afternoon 14 Shevat accident involving a passenger bus and a trailer carrier in southern Israel, near the Bedouin community of Rahat. The truck was carrying tractors on a flatbed. At least one tractor disconnected from the flatbed and fell on the side of the bus as a result of the truck colliding. The preliminary investigation indicates that the vehicles got close and the tractor was protruding off the sides of the flatbed and clipped the side of the bus and peeled it back. This complicated the situation and may have led to the fatalities. The victims are described as women from the Bedouin community, in their 50s, who were returning from Har Habayis and the Jerusalem area. The mayor of Rahat confirms the passengers on the bus were all returning from Har Habayis and all the passengers are residents of the surrounding area.

One grieving family member explained to the media that the women are religious and they travel to Har Habayis to pray every Tuesday.

According to a bus company official, who spoke with the driver, a truck slammed into the bus near Lehavim Junction in the northern Negev. It was immediately clear that a mass causality event had occurred as the bus was carrying 54 passengers.

Magen David Adom and Ichud (Hatzalah) declared a “mass response” as personnel were summoned to the scene. The Israel Air Force ‘669’ aerial rescue unit was also activated and three choppers were dispatched to the scene. Fourteen fire department apparatus responded to the scene in addition to police of course.

Southern District Police Chief Yoram Halevy reports that the preliminary evidence on the scene confirms the driver’s report, that the truck struck the bus while it traveled on the east-west road. He and other area officials add that the road, Route 31, is among the most dangerous in the nation because it was not constructed to handle the vehicular volume that it does. In addition, the two-way roadway does not have a barrier, making head-on collisions increasingly likely.