A bus collided with two vehicles on a highway in northern Israel on Wednesday, leaving five people dead and dozens more injured, according to paramedics.
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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 of the taxi's passengers, including three children, were pronounced dead that the scene, Magen David Adom emergency services paramedics said. They were later identified as 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. He was brought out of a medically induced coma on Thursday and was informed of the loss of his family.
An additional fifth death was later announced, that of the bus driver, Asher Basson, 76. According to court records, Besson had been convicted of various traffic offenses 51 times in the past.
According to the initial investigation, the bus struck the van before hitting the car, then overturned on the highway three times. Footage from the scene showed the taxi and the van were both heavily damaged in the collision.
Aside from the driver, the majority of passengers on board managed to escape safely. An 11-year-old girl was hospitalized in serious condition with head injuries.
After the crash, 48 victims were evacuated by emergency services to receive additional medical treatment in the north, with two children airlifted by helicopter.
"Our volunteers who are part of the Emergency Room Relief Project have gathered and are assisting with the reception and triage of patients in Ziv Hospital, The Galilee Medical Center in Nahariya and the Rambam Medical Center in Haifa," a volunteer from United Hatzalah explained.
The IDF also deployed troops from its 669 Search and Rescue Unit and three helicopters with medical specialists to aid in the evacuation efforts.
The bus was carrying children on their way home from a Sukkot outing, and sources report that their parents have been informed 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."
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