One killed, 25 injured as heavy fog causes deadly morning on Israel's roads

Multiple car crashes occured on Highway 31 alone, as one woman was killed and at least 25 people were injured across Israel on Sunday morning.

 Traffic accident near Nevatim junction on January 22, 2023. (photo credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM OPERATIONAL DOCUMENTATION)
Traffic accident near Nevatim junction on January 22, 2023.
(photo credit: MAGEN DAVID ADOM OPERATIONAL DOCUMENTATION)

One woman was killed and 25 others were injured in multiple car crashes across Israel on Sunday morning.

A 30-year-old woman was killed in a car accident between three vehicles on Route 722 near the Yokneam intersection.

Three injured were evacuated to Rambam Health Care Campus in Haifa, including a 40-year-old man in serious condition and two lightly injured.

"When we arrived at the scene, we saw a very serious traffic accident," MDA pandemic Doron Baker said. "Two vehicles standing on the traffic island were crushed severely in their front part. A 30-year-old woman was trapped in one of the vehicles, we performed medical tests during the rescue operations, but her injury was critical and after resuscitation attempts, we had to determine her death," Baker said.

MDA ambulance (illustrative) (credit: Yanir Yagana)
MDA ambulance (illustrative) (credit: Yanir Yagana)

Multiple accidents in the Negev Region 

Heavy fog led to at least five accidents on Highway 31 in the Negev region during the early hours on Sunday. 

"During the morning hours, many reports were received about several incidents at the same time as the rescue teams together with the medical personnel were treating all the scenes. Please drive carefully and be alert on the road, especially in such heavy fog so that you may reach your destination and your families safely," said Israel Fire and Rescue services shift commander Asaf Shabbat.

In the first accident, three people were lightly injured in a collision between a truck and a shuttle bus on Highway 80 near the town of Susiya.

A 40-year-old man is in moderate condition and six additional people were injured lightly in a traffic accident involving two trucks and three vehicles on Highway 31, near the Nevatim interchange in the Negev.

Shortly after, in another accident on Highway 31, two women in their 20s were injured seriously while two men in their 30s were in moderate condition after a collision involving four vehicles near the Bedouin town of Kseifa, according to Magen David Adom.

"When we arrived at the scene, we saw a car accident between 4 vehicles, in one of the vehicles there were two young women in their 20s, unconscious and suffering from multi-system injuries. During the rescue operations by the MDA medics, we administered medical treatment. Two other injured people were sitting near the accident suffering from bruises on their bodies. We gave them medical treatment as well and evacuated them in MDA intensive care vehicles to Soroka Hospital, two being in serious condition and two in moderate condition," MDA Paramedic Boris Mento said.

In a separate accident shortly after, a 60-year-old man standing on the side of the road was hit by a truck and moderately injured, on Highway 31 near the town of Uqbi.

A 25-year-old man is serious condition with a head injury and five people were slightly injured in an accident between a car and a bus with passengers on Highway 31 near the Tel Arad intersection. 

All the people injured in the accidents in the Negev region were treated by MDA paramedics on the scene and transported to Soroka-University Medical Center in Beersheba for further treatment.

Maariv and Walla! contributed to this report.