Death toll in Israeli train crash rises to eight

The death toll in one of Israel's worst rail disasters rose to eight on this morning after a passenger in a train that crashed…

The death toll in one of Israel's worst rail disasters rose to eight on this morning after a passenger in a train that crashed into a truck in central Israel died of her injuries.

Passengers were thrown dozens of meters from carriages and others were trapped in the wreckage when the train from the northern city of Haifa to southern Beersheba hit the truck at a dirt road crossing in farmland near Kibbutz Revadim yesterday.

More than 180 people were injured, at least a dozen seriously, rescue workers said.

Transportation Minister Meir Sheetrit said an investigative committee would submit its findings on the crash within a week.

READ MORE

Train crashes are rare in Israel which has recently begun to expand its railway network in an effort to reduce traffic congestion.

In 1985, 22 children from the town of Petah Tikva were killed in Israel's worst rail accident. Their school bus collided with a train in northern Israel.