A bus in northern Laos overturned on Sunday night, injuring 18 Israelis, who all suffered minor injuries.
This was the second bus accident in Laos within 24 hours after 13 Israelis were wounded in a traffic accident in the country on Saturday night, including some in serious condition after the driver reportedly fell asleep.
Another bus was sent to the scene, and the wounded were evacuated to a hospital in Luang Prabang for treatment.
This makes overall 31 Israelis wounded.
The Magnus Search and Rescue Unit is working in coordination with the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the consulate in Laos. The injured Israelis have all been transferred to Thailand and hospitalized in a private hospital in Ubon Ratchathani, the easternmost province in the country, for continued treatment.
One Israeli gives testimony
The accident where 18 were wounded occurred during a lengthy 13-hour journey from Nong to Pakse, near the Mekong River, about an hour before reaching the destination. Nadav Czernotsky, a 22-year-old from Jerusalem who was on the bus and sustained minor injuries, including concerns of a concussion, managed to free himself independently and helped other wounded passengers.
In an interview with Walla, Czernotsky said "There were about 30-35 passengers on the bus, including a group of seven Israelis I was part of, where we knew each other, and another three couples, for a total of 13 Israelis. It was dark, late at night, and most passengers were asleep. It's still unclear exactly what happened. I woke up from the impact and found myself thrown to the ground beneath the old bus, which had fallen into a ditch and had its roof torn apart."
He crawled out of the bus and saw that the other Israelis were trapped. "They couldn’t get out on their own," he described, adding: "There was a lot of chaos. The locals didn’t really know what to do. Other drivers who stopped just gathered around and stared. I started shouting to locate people, and that’s how I identified where they were. I grabbed another passenger who knew how to apply tourniquets, and together, we moved between the people we found, rescuing and helping as many as we could.
"To my understanding, the driver was killed," he continued. "I made a list of all the Israelis and gave it to Magnus, who assisted in the evacuation. Ambulances eventually arrived and took us to a hospital. From there, we were moved to another place, and finally, fortunately, we were transferred to Thailand.
"I started this trip four months ago and was supposed to return in a month, but I plan to cut it short and return as soon as possible, and I think that’s the plan for all the other Israelis as well."