13-Year-Old Girl Found Dead After Being Swept Away in the Jordan River

A 13-year-old girl from northern Israel was found dead before the end of Shabbat after being swept away in the Jordan River near Lehavot HaBashan. A second girl, aged 15, who was also carried off by the current had not been found as of the report, and police were continuing large-scale searches in the area with helicopter support.

According to the first details, the girls’ friends alerted the Fire and Rescue authorities after the trio was swept by the current. Police said, “Many police forces are at the scene, including an Air Unit helicopter, Fire and Rescue, and volunteers from the rescue unit. They are conducting extensive searches to locate the girls.”

North District Fire and Rescue spokesman Chief Inspector Uri Cohen said girls who were swimming in the river reported that three of their friends began to drift away. Shortly afterward, one managed to escape on her own, while the other two continued to be carried by the current.

Fire and Rescue Israel in the North said firefighters, special rescue teams from the North District, police, and the police rescue unit were dispatched, and that Lahava, the national special rescue unit, was also called in because of the complexity of the incident.