On Thursday, 10 youths tragically died in a flash flood in the popular hiking route, Nahal Tzafit. The 10 were swept away in a torrential flood while hiking in the river bed.
Fifteen others were saved, and two needed medical treatment for moderate wounds. The body of a lost female student was found late Thursday night, bringing the death toll to 10, after search and rescue operations continued through the night.
The route, known for a valley with huge rock walls, is a riverbed that runs from Mishor Yamin to the the Makhtesh HaKatan, a geological landform crater, before getting to the southern Dead Sea.
The 10 students killed in the floods were in a group of 25 students on a hike organised by the Bnei Zion pre-military academy. They were due to start the programme in the coming year, and the hike was intended as a pre-programme bonding excursion.
The hike went ahead despite warnings of life-threatening weather conditions.
On Thursday, serious flooding was reported in several other parts of the country as the mega-storm ripped through. A bus carrying around 50 people was also knocked over near the Dead Sea due to the heavy rain, but everyone was evacuated safely.
