Today has been another difficult day in Israel. This afternoon a truck errantly crossed a track in the path of the Haifa-Be’er Sheva train. Apparently, the truck driver did not follow any of the posted instructions to stop and ignored the train’s whistle. The impact careened cars off the track and according to some reports, crushed the first few cars. As of this posting, seven are dead and over 245 injured.

There are various stories in English and Hebrew available on the web. You can find the Ha’aretz English language story here and a Hebrew language Ha’aretz story here.

Recently officials in Israel have issued more frequent cautions and warnings to Israeli motorists of their dangerous driving habits. For example, there was a nation-wide warning issued following some deadly accidents during Passover.

I send my prayers of comfort to those who have lost loved ones and my prayers of healing to all who have been injured. May the Holy One be with each of them and their families.