Five Killed in Deadly Bus Crash in Northern Israel

A bus collided with two vehicles on a highway in northern Israel on Wednesday, leaving five people dead and dozens more injured.

The bus crashed into a truck and a taxi carrying four passengers, all members of the same family, on Highway 89, a twisting mountain road in the upper Galilee region.

Four family members were pronounced dead at the scene: Moran Ben-Eli, 35, and her children Dekel (15), Liam (11) and Annael (5). The father, Reuven, who was also in the car, was hospitalized in serious condition. An additional fifth death was later announced, the bus driver, who was identified as 76-year-old Asher Basson.

The accident occurred on Route 89 in the northern Galil when the bus, on its way from the town of Hurfeish, crashed into a taxi and a van.

After the crash, around 48 victims were evacuated by emergency services to receive additional medical treatment in the north, with two children relocated by helicopter.

Police were investigating the causes of the crash.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who landed back in Israel Wednesday evening after a trip to the United States, said he was devastated to hear of the tragic accident, and “sends condolences and a warm embrace to the families of those killed during this difficult time.”

Bennett requested that the Israeli public “be extremely careful about cautious road travel.”