Six killed, dozens injured in West Bank school bus accident

Six killed, dozens injured in West Bank school bus accident

2012-02-17 08:56:35 GMT+7 (ICT)

RAMALLAH, WEST BANK (BNO NEWS) -- At least six Palestinians, including five children, were killed on Thursday morning when an Israeli truck hit a Palestinian school bus in the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority's health minister said.

The accident happened when a truck, driven by an Israeli-Arab man, collided head-on with a bus carrying school children as young as four years old. The school bus had left the West Bank city of Ramallah for a field trip but was returning due to heavy rain and strong winds.

Fathi Abu Moghli, the Palestinian Authority health minister, said five Palestinian children and their teacher were killed in the accident. Another 39 people were injured, including the truck driver who was reported to be in a critical condition at Esawiah hospital.

"They had very little time to escape the bus from the moment of impact. A fire broke out very soon afterward," police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Jerusalem Post from the scene. "The bus is completely burned out on the inside."

Both Israeli and Palestinian emergency responders arrived at the scene of the accident and evacuated the victims to Israeli and Palestinian hospitals. Police suspect the wet conditions on the road led to the accident, although an investigation is still being carried out.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, who called the accident a 'national catastrophe', announced a three-day mourning period and said flags will fly at half mast. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered any necessary aid needed by the Palestinian Authority.

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