The scene of the bus crash that left at least 5 dead. Photo: ZAKA.

JNS.org – Six Israelis were killed Sunday when an Egged bus traveling on Route 1 from Jerusalem to the predominantly haredi city of Bnei Brak crashed into a truck parked on the side of the highway. Fourteen more people were wounded, one of them seriously.

The bus driver was arrested early Monday on suspicion of manslaughter resulting from criminal negligence. He is also suspected of tampering with evidence and obstructing justice. During a hearing Monday, a police representative said the driver had tampered with the “black box” on the bus and had removed an essential component. The driver claimed he returned the part and closed the box. Police were unable to open the device at the scene of the accident and are now attempting to verify or disprove the driver’s story in the lab.

The police have also requested a detailed log of the phone calls made and received by the driver’s phone preceding the accident. The initial investigation revealed that the driver had been involved in a previous accident on the same route several years ago, although in the opposite direction, from Bnei Brak to Jerusalem. Several passengers were injured in that accident, and the company restricted the driver to routes inside the city. He only resumed driving the intercity route several weeks ago.