Last update - 00:00 23/08/2007
3 Galilee residents killed in car crash 200 meters from home
By Eli Ashkenazi, Haaretz Correspondent
Three Galilee residents were killed Thursday afternoon in a traffic accident which occurred near their home village of Dir Hana.
The three were killed when a commercial vehicle collided with an oncoming truck. Four people were injured in the accident, two were seriously hurt and two escaped with light injuries.
The commercial vehicle containing the 7 Dir Hana residents, collided with a trailer tethered to a truck a mere 200 meters from the entrance to the village.
Large police forces arrived at the scene of the accident. Hundreds of Dir Hana residents also arrived on site.
A preliminary investigation into the accident revealed that the commercial vehicle had swerved slightly leftward and hit the trailer head-on. The reason behind the swerve is yet unknown. No one in the truck was hurt.
"The aftermath of every accident involving a truck is serious" the head of the northern district traffic police department said.
A witness who works at a nearby restaurant said "when I arrived at the scene of the accident I saw a shocking image of dead and injured. I don't know what happened or whose fault it was."
The police are currently searching for eye witnesses who can shed light on the incident.
On Monday, a brother and sister aged 8 and 12 were killed in a head on collision between a private car and a truck in southern Israel. The children's father who was driving the private car was moderately hurt in the crash.