4 killed, a dozen injured as bus plows into bus stop near Ben Gurion Airport

Four people were killed Sunday and 12 were injured in a bus crash on Route 40 close to Ben Gurion International Airport.

Two women, aged 67 and 19, were left in serious condition, the Magen David Adom ambulance service said in a statement.

One of those killed was a woman in her 50s, according to MDA.

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Another person was moderately injured and 11 people were lightly injured, the Israel Police said.

The bus hit a bus stop at the side of the road at Bedek Junction. The impact caused massive damage to the vehicle, which was partially crushed by the bus stop’s concrete roof.

After the injured were taken to local hospitals, emergency services struggled to remove the trapped remains of those who were killed.

The injured passengers were taken to Sheba Medical Center and Assaf Harofeh Medical Center.

An initial investigation found that the bus swerved for an unknown reason and hit the bus stop. An MDA medic said that the driver was trapped in his seat, but was conscious when emergency services arrived at the scene.

Rout 40 was closed to traffic due to the accident.

 

 

The scene of a deadly bus accident on Route 40 near Ben Gurion International airport, December 22, 2019. (Flash90)

The Egged bus company said in a statement that the bus was a No. 947 that left Jerusalem for Haifa at 6 p.m.

“The bus swerved from its path for unclear reasons and slammed into a concrete bus stop,” Egged said. “The cause of the accident, the swerving and the collision with the structure will be checked by police traffic inspectors after the evacuation of injured people from this severe and tragic accident is completed.”

Earlier Sunday, two Palestinian workers were killed when the minibus they were traveling in hit a bus near Ramat Gan, outside Tel Aviv. The driver of the minibus was seriously injured in the accident, which police suspect was caused by speeding and reckless driving.

The deaths brought to 345 the number of people killed in traffic accidents during 2019, according to figures from the National Road Safety Authority. Last year, 316 people were killed on the country’s roads.