At least 16 people were killed in southern Israel on Thursday as a train hit a minibus near the town of Kiryat Gat.
Two children, aged six and four, and a pregnant woman were among the dead, according to television news reports.
At least six other people were also injured in the crash, which happened as the packed vehicle was hit by a northbound train, according to initial reports.
The bus appeared to have been hit as it attempted to pass over a crossing on road 353 at 7:05PM. The crossing point had been equipped with a lookout point after a similar accident a year ago but it appears that no guard was posted there at the time.
The train driver, Giora Weiss, told reporters that as he sped towards the corssing he could see the driver of the minibus turning to talk with his passengers before breaking through the crossing's barrier.
"He was speaking with the passengers as he approached the crossing... the guy was talking to his friends, it seemed like he wasn't looking at the tracks at all - I don't think he even noticed the barrier," Weiss said. "He broke through the barrier and came to a halt on the tracks. I hit the emergency brake, that's all I can remember."
He said: "I saw the eyes of one of the passengers, which was terrbile for me. I braked straight away. Thank God the train didn't come off the tracks."
One train passenger said: "We heard a boom. Suddenly the train started to slow and there was a burning smell. We got out and what we saw was horrible – the minibus was simply pulverized.
"We couldn't believe what we were seeing, some of the passengers on the train had no idea what was happening."
Another witness said: "It was a very hard sight to see – people started shouting and screaming. We tried to help the injured before the emergency services arrived."
Chief executive of Israel Railways Itzhak Harel told reporters that the train driver braked but was unable to stop in time. The train would have been traveling at around 130km per hour and would have required a stopping distance of 700 meters, he said.
Weiss said he had braked about 400 meters from the minibus.
None of the passengers aboard the train was hurt, although three were treated for shock.
Large teams of Magen David Adom paramedics, as well as rescue helicopters, were arriving at the scene and quickly began evacuating the injured to hospitals in the southern cities of Be'er Shava and Ashkelon.
Police Commander in Chief Dudi Cohen was also on his way to the crash site, police said.
The Minister of Transportation, Israel Katz, told Channel 10 news: "The railways have done everything they can, unfortunately the driver failed to heed the warnings and crossed anyway. There has been a massive publicity campaign on this issue lately and we have implored drivers not to break through the barriers."
Following the accident, all train services between Tel Aviv and Be'er Sheva were suspended.