At least 20 Russian tourists killed in Israeli bus accident (2nd Lead)

Dec 16, 2008, 14:00 GMT

Tel Aviv - A bus carrying Russian tourists plunged into a gully near the Israeli resort of Eilat on Tuesday afternoon, killing at least 20 people, and injuring 32 others, rescue officials said.

Some 16 of the injured were said to be in serious condition.

Some 55 people were on the bus when the accident occurred and seven people were still unaccounted for.

The tourists, had just landed at Uvda airport, about 40 kilometres north of Eilat, and were on their way to the resort on the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba, when the bus fell 80-metres into the gully.

It was not immediately clear why the bus left the road, a but a witness told Israel Radio that the vehicle was traveling well above the speed limit on the road which snakes its way near the Israeli- Sinai border.

The vehicle lay on its side at the bottom of the gully, as army medics gave emergency first-aid to the wounded and rescue personnel gingerly picked their way through the scattered belongings on the ground to evacuate the injured and clear the bodies.

Some 20 ambulances and three Israel Air Force helicopters were rushed to the scene and began evacuating the passengers to a hospital in Eilat.

Eilat's main hospital issued an emergency call for all vacationing doctors and nurses in the city to come help treat the wounded. SOme of the wounded would be transferred to hospitals elsewhere in Israel, Israel Radio reported.