Three yeshiva students belonging to the Lubavitch Hasidic sect were killed in a car accident on Route 40 on Tuesday on their way to light Hanukkah candles and distribute doughnuts for the holiday at Israel Defense Forces bases in the south of the country.

Five other Lubavitchers traveling in the same vehicle were injured in the accident, including the driver, who was transported to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva in very serious condition.

The other four were taken to Yoseftal Medical Center in Eilat, and two of them including Moshe Hecht, the 13-year-old son of the chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Eilat were released yesterday afternoon.

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Police said the Ford Transit in which they were traveling overturned and fell into a ditch on the side of the road, about 90 kilometers north of Eilat. The exact circumstances have yet to be determined.

Tila Hecht, Moshe's mother, said her son was saved from injury because he was wearing a seat belt and that he has spoken to Lubavitch students about the importance of road safety.

"The accident is shocking," she said. "All in all, they went out to fulfill the mitzvah [commandment] of the holiday of Hanukkah."