Two dead after bus falls off cliff near Ariel in West Bank
The No. 462 line bus veered off a cliff on Route 60 during inclement weather.
By JPOST.COM STAFFUpdated: JANUARY 27, 2017 09:09Scene of a deadly bus crash near Ariel on Jan. 27, 2017 (credit: DANIEL DOVINKY, MAGEN DAVID ADOM)
Two people were killed when an Egged Taavura passenger bus overturned on Route 60 near Ma'aleh Levona just southwest of Ariel in the Binyamin Regional Council of the West Bank, Magen David Adom reported Friday.The No. 462 line bus, which left Jerusalem at 11:50 PM on Thursday in the direction of Ariel, reported veered off Route 60 during stormy weather. It fell some 300 meters off a cliff into a ravine and overturned, making medical access difficult. Paramedics and military personnel cooperated in the incident.One of those killed was the bus driver, 37-year-old Avishai Kroani from Ariel, a husband and father of five, according to a statement from Egged. The other person killed in the incident was a 23-year-old man.According to MDA, seven people were injured in the incident, three of them seriously.United Hatzalah volunteer, Michael Chai Cohen, who arrived on scene stated: "We had to walk for 10 minutes in the rain and mud until we reached the bus. We requested helicopters to help evacuate the injured. Unfortunately, upon arrival, we found several victims who were unconscious and without a pulse. Others sustained varying degrees of injuries.”