Seven people have died and 20 have been injured in a collision between a minibus and a high-speed passenger train near Kiryat Gat in southern Israel.

以色列南部地区发生一起交通事故，一辆小型公共汽车与一列高速载客列车相撞，7人死亡、20人受伤。

The minibus was hit at 1905 (1605 GMT) on Route 353, apparently¹ as it tried to pass over a level crossing.

All the dead - including a pregnant² woman and two children - and all the injured were travelling in the minibus.

The minibus apparently broke a barrier rail, Israeli Railways said.

Regional military commander Maj-Gen Yohanan Danino said there was evidence the minibus had "crossed into a forbidden place".

Injured people were evacuated³（疏散，撤离） by helicopter to Barzilai Hospital in Ashkelon and Soroka Hospital in Beer Sheba.

'Pulverised'

Yitzhak Harel, head of Israel Railways, said the train had applied⁴ its brakes but had been unable to stop, the Jerusalem Post reports.

"The minibus driver just came at high speed, I do not know why, all the warning systems were working," he said.

One train passenger quoted by Haaretz newspaper said: "We heard a boom⁵.

"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 pulverised（被粉碎的） .

"We couldn't believe what we were seeing, some of the passengers on the train had no idea what was happening."