Yosef Kahalani, 70, of Petah Tikva, was killed in the bus accident near Ben Gurion Airport. "" A few minutes before I read about the accident, and I didn't think it was my grandfather, "his grandson said." His daughter Iris said: The window, and the candle goes out "

Yosef Kahalani, 70, from Petah Tikva, is one of those killed in the bus accident yesterday at the Checkpoint junction near Ben Gurion Airport.

Jonathan Gazit, Kahalani's grandson, said: "He would travel a lot to Jerusalem, pray and travel. There was a righteous man. My sister called me this morning and told me that my grandfather was killed in the accident. A few minutes before I read about the accident, I didn't think it was my grandfather "My grandmother waited for him all night to come."

Photo: Yaron Doron

Iris Sayes, Kahalani's daughter, said: "He was a good soul. I never heard him say 'it's hard for me and it hurts' or 'and I can't.' "Really. On the eve of the first candle, Mom was waiting for him by the window, and the candle went out. I'm sorry it's tragic under circumstances that could have been prevented. Today it has come to our door. Every time it comes to someone else's doorway, it's sad." Kahalani left behind his wife, Queen, three daughters and 14 grandchildren.

Meanwhile, the Rishon Lezion Magistrate's Court extended the arrest of 44-year-old Alexander Leibman, 44, of Haifa, the bus driver on line 947 who was involved last night in the fatal accident at a checkpoint near Ben Gurion Airport. In the accident, four of the bus passengers were found dead. The agreement between the police and the defense attorney's attorney, Roye Brown, stipulated that on Thursday, if there was no dramatic development, he would be released under restrictive conditions.

The main difficulty now in investigating the accident is that in this area of ​​the road there are no security cameras, so it is difficult to know what caused it. The driver himself claimed in court that he did not use the cellphone. He gave an initial version of what happened to him, but that did not spell Uri about the circumstances of the accident.

The late Joseph Kahalani with his wife Malka Tbdla

The researchers took a driver's blood test to rule out or verify drug use. An intoxication test was also conducted - which brought nothing up. The driver, who was slightly injured in the accident, was examined at Beilinson Hospital and no signs of a cardiac event or other illness could be found that could result in a physical reaction leading to lost control of the vehicle.

Researchers are currently focusing on the possibility of driver distraction, or, alternatively, technical failure on the bus, whether as a result of the steering system or wheels. In addition, it was investigated whether a vehicle that swerved before the bus caused the bus driver to deviate, or if there was any object on the road that the driver was trying to avoid hitting. Investigators also began collecting evidence from travelers. The black box of the bus was taken for testing, along with the driver's personal cellphone.

Police investigators said in court that at least according to the preliminary investigation into the field, there was no apparent reason for the horrific accident. "This is a straight road, which shows good repair, no turns or poor infrastructure," police investigators said. "On the face of it, there is no reason for such a swift move toward the roadside shuttle station. Everything will now be examined," the researchers added.

Driver's defense attorney, Brown, said in his name: "This is indeed a serious accident with dire consequences. He regrets what happened and the loss of life. The investigation at the outset will therefore not be addressed. We have agreed to a few days detention to allow the investigation to proceed. "

In the accident, three young women and a 79-year-old man were killed in the two front benches on days that absorbed the bulk of the bus stop collision and its concrete beams penetrated but inside the bus where they sat. The bodies were transferred to the Institute of Forensic Medicine for final scientific identification. In the accident, 18 people were injured. Except for two injured and in moderate condition, all other injured were released to their home.