16 Killed in Israeli Tour Bus Accident
A tour bus overturned on a slippery road in northern Israel on Saturday and plunged into a deep ravine, killing 16 people, police said.
Thirty-six people were injured, 10 of them seriously, in what police called Israel’s deadliest road accident.
The bus was taking 56 members of a singles club from central Israel on an outing when the first heavy rain in months began falling, leaving the road slick. The bus was traveling between the towns of Tiberias and Nazareth when the driver lost control.
Tour guide Zvika Mena told Israel TV that he was talking to the group when the bus veered off the road.
“There were loud shouts and panic. I was thrown out of the front window,” Mena said.
The bus plunged at least 60 feet into the ravine and landed on its roof. Several bodies were pinned under the vehicle, and some survivors were trapped in their seats.
The bus was traveling just below the 50-mph speed limit, but that was too fast considering the road conditions, authorities said. Survivors said they had asked the driver several times to slow down.
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