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25 Dead in Israel Bus Crash

Russian tourists among victims of accident

By Kevin Spak, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 16, 2008 11:31 AM CST

(Newser) – At least 25 people were killed when a bus full of Russian tourists plunged into a ravine in Israel today, Haaretz reports. At least 12 more are in serious condition. The bus contained roughly 60 passengers traveling from St. Petersburg to the Red Sea resort of Eilat. The incident is being treated as an accident, not an attack.

“The driver of the bus tried to overtake another bus in a hair-pin curve and lost control of his vehicle,” said one taxi driver who saw the incident, a report backed up by the other bus driver. The bus then tumbled down the slope, and many passengers were thrown from the vehicle. Forty ambulances and six helicopters were rushed to the scene.

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Israeli emergency personnel evacuate a wounded victim of a bus accident today north of the Israeli Red Sea resort town of Eilat. (Getty Images)

Israeli rescue workers gather around an overturned bus at the scene of a crash near the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat today. (AP Photo)

Bodies of passengers are seen at the scene of a bus crash near the southern Israeli resort city of Eilat today. (AP Photo)

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CNN's Paula Hancocks reports on a horrific bus accident near a resort town in Israel. (CNN Video)

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They were saved because they were trapped in their seats. The rest were scrambled and mangled, spread out along the slope. - Israeli military officer, who helped rescue six people trapped in the bus

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25 Dead in Israel Bus Crash