6 Dead, 3 Wounded Critically in Haifa Crash

Reports of a major crash in Haifa, Israel that has claimed the lives of six people are coming in. Police are investigating the cause of the collisions, in which a truck smashed into a number of cars and pedestrians and may have been intentional. Police confirms that the crash was the result of failed brakes and not a terrorist attack

The crash scene in the port city of Haifa is still active and the injured are still treated both at the scene. The incident occurred on Bar Yehuda Way near the Paz Bridge.

According to first responders at least seven vehicles were involved in the collision and as many as six people have been killed, and rescue forces have declared a mass casualty event.

With this incident the amount of people killed in motor vehicle incidents in Israel since the beginning of 2013 crossed the 100 mark.

Update 10:33am EST: Zaka is reporting that there have been 18 casualties, which include 6 dead, 3 injured critically and 2 moderately and the rest light.

According to initial reports the truck has Palestinian license plates and was operated by a Palestinian Arab. It is still unclear if the crash was intentional, and police have quarantined the scene for an investigation.

Update 10:39am EST: As was reported earlier, police were initially investigating whether the incident could have been a terror attack, but later assessments pointed at a failure in the truck’s brakes.

“At this moment in time we don’t believe it was a terror attack,” Israel Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told The Times of Israel. ”We strongly believe it was an accident based on findings at the scene and eyewitnesses.”

The Palestinian driver of the truck was being questioned in order to ascertain whether it was a deliberate attack. He was lightly hurt in the collision.

Stay tuned for more information as this is a developing story…