[2][3] The coach was carrying 60 passengers,[2] a group of Russian tour operators from St Petersburg, from Ovda International Airport to the holiday resort of Eilat.

[3] The bus crashed through the roadside safety barrier and fell 60 metres down a slope, turning over several times.

[5] Gelfond, who survived the crash, claimed that something fell on him, causing him to lose control,[3] though Minister of Transport and Road Safety Shaul Mofaz stated that there was a dispute between the two drivers and that the accident "was the result of the drivers' thuggery.

"[3] However, the second bus driver Rami Vazana has claimed there was no dispute, and that Gelfond had just been attempting to overtake him.

Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Olmert, expressed sorrow over the "horrific outcome".