Five Israelis were killed in a car crash near the Moroccan city Ouarzazate early Friday, Israeli media reported.
Israeli disaster response team “ZAKA” received a report at 10 a.m. on Friday about a vehicle with five Israelis inside who lost control of the car which overturned, killing all passengers, the Jerusalem Post reported.
The five passengers were from Safed in northern Israel and were reportedly killed instantly.
The victims were identified as Moshe Gallant (18), Meir Israel Shasha (25), Rabbi Natan Shapira (36), Chaim Yosef Teplinsky (20), and Rabbi Shimon Teplinsky (33). They were members of the Breslev Hasidic community, and two of them were fathers, the same source said.
Yossi Kakkon, Mayor of Safed, expressed his deep sorrow in a statement addressed to the city’s residents, which was shared with Barlamane.com: “It is with great pain that I learned of the tragedy that occurred last night in Morocco, involving several residents of Safed.”
The mayor added: “We remain in constant contact with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the official authorities handling the case.”
Deputy Director-General of ZAKA Haïm Weingarten said, “As soon as we received the report, our international unit began working with the Moroccan authorities to expedite the identification and repatriation of the bodies. We are also collaborating with the families to do everything in our power to ensure their timely burial.”