The identities of the two young girls killed in a car accident Thursday afternoon were cleared for publication Thursday night.
Authorities say eight-year-old Shirel Ester Ben Simon and her three-year-old sister Sarah were the two fatalities in today’s crash on Route 90, near Ein Yahav.
The family, which had recently immigrated to Israel from France, was driving down to the southern port city of Eilat from Tel Aviv for a vacation when their car collided head-on with another vehicle driving in the opposite direction.
An initial investigation into the crash suggests one of the cars strayed from its lane, resulting in the collision.
Five other people were injured in the accident, including two in serious condition, two more who were moderately injured, and one in light condition. Initially, three people had been listed in serious condition.
The girls’ parents were both moderately injured, while their one-year-old brother was lightly injured.
Two people in the second vehicle involved in the accident were injured, one seriously the other critically.
The victims of the accident were treated at the scene by MDA and IDF emergency first responders before being evacuated by IDF and MDA helicopters to Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheva.