Six people were killed and 12 were wounded in a collision between a bus and a truck on Route 1 in central Israel, between Latrun the Anava interchange, on Sunday evening.

One of the injured is in serious condition, three are in moderate condition and three are in light condition. The injured were evacuated to Assaf Harofeh Hospital in Tzrifin, Sheba Medical Center in Tel Hashomer and Kaplan Hospital in Rehovot. The Egged 402 bus was on way from Jerusalem to Bnei Brak. "The entire right side of the bus was torn open," Magen David Adom spokesperson Zachi Heller said.

Israel Police said that large forces were alerted to the scene, and that the road has been blocked. Five firefighting teams were called in. Magen David Adom expect the number of casualties to rise.

Open gallery view Scene of the collision, February 14, 2016. Credit: Uri Davis, United Hatzalah emergency services

A United Hatzalah emergency services volunteer said the bus appeared to have crashed into a truck, which was parked on the side of the road. "Unfortunately when I arrived at the scene I found a boy and two girls, unconscious, not breathing and without a pulse, as well several adults who lost consciousness and a large number of passengers, conscious and suffering from injuries and bruises."

Following the accident, Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz ordered the director-general of his office to speed up the installation of road safety systems in trucks and busses. Two weeks ago, Katz issued a directive requiring these kinds of vehicles to install systems that monitor if a car is veering from its lane, as well as the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle in front of it. The directive will go into effect on November 1, and the ministry will provide incentives for car owners who install the system before then.