Death Toll in Dead Sea Flash Floods Rises to 10 as Last Missing Teen Found

The death toll from flash floods that hit a group of teenage hikers in southern Israel Thursday rose from nine to 10 after a body found overnight was identified as the last missing teen Friday morning. Meanwhile, the two Palestinian children also died from flooding in the West Bank.

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The ten victims, nine girls and one boy of around 18 years old, were killed when they were swept away by flash floods during a hike at Nahal Tsafit, south of the Dead Sea. The trip was part of a pre-army program.

Rescue helicopter over Nahal Tsafit, April 26, 2018.Eli Hershkovitz.

Also overnight Friday, an overturned truck was found near Ein Tamar, with no driver in it. A body was found nearby, but officials it was not the truck driver. Due to the fact that the area has seen flooding, possibly dislodging landmines following heavy rain, searches for the driver are proceeding carefully after a short lull.

Police have also begun making arrests in their investigation into the death of the young Israelis, and have taken members of the staff of the program which took them on the trip. After the staff members were questioned, two were arrested and a third was released to house arrest.

Ella Or, Gali Balel, Agam Levi, Shani Samir, Adi Ra’anan, Yael Sadan, Maayan Barhum, Romi Cohen and Tzur Alfi were killed in a flash flood April 27, 2018

Flash floods in Israel: Abandoned truck found in southern Israel — Eliyahu Hershkovitz

Israelis watch flooded water running through a valley blocking the main road along the Dead Sea in the Judean desert on April 25, 2018. — MENAHEM KAHANA/AFP

>> Nine teenagers killed after flash floods hit Israel's south ■ Israel opens investigation ■ Authorities name nine teenage victims ■ 'We're going to die': Text messages reveal teenage flood victim feared for her life on hike >>

As of Thursday evening, a search party made up of police volunteers and Israeli army rescue helicopters had not yet found the tenth missing teen and the search was suspended as night fell. Fifteen other members of the group were rescued, two of whom were taken to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva with hypothermia.

Authorities have named nine of the 10 victims as Ella Or, from the settlement of Ma’ale Adumim; Gali Belali, from the central city of Givatayim; Agam Levi, from Moshav Herut in central Israel; Shani Samir, from the central town of Shoham; Adi Ra’anan, from the coastal community of Mikhmoret; Yael Sadan and Maayan Barhum from Jerusalem; Romi Cohen, from Moshav Maor in the north and Tzur Alfi, from the central town of Mazkeret Batya. The communities are working to create an extensive support network for families and friends coping with the loss of their loved ones.

Israel Police has opened an investigation into the deaths, with the focus expected to be on the organizers of the program on suspicion of death by negligence. Text messages show that one of the girls who was killed told friends she was worried for her safety on the hike, the Israel Television News Company reported. "I can't believe I'm actually going hiking in weather like this. It doesn't make sense to go to a place that's completely flooded. It's tempting fate. We're going to die – I'm serious," she wrote to her friends on the messaging application WhatsApp a day before the trip.

All of the agencies responsible for collecting rainfall and flooding information in the south issued rather clear warnings on Wednesday and Thursday regarding the risk of flooding in the area where the group was hiking near the Tzafit stream. The Israel Meteorological Service also issued a warning on the risk of flooding in the Dead Sea region, the southern Judean Desert and the Arava. It should be noted that even relatively small quantities of rainfall in the desert can cause powerful flood waters.

"Israel grieves the promising young lives that were cut off by this tragedy in the Arava," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in response to the news. "We embrace the families with grief and pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded."

President Reuven Rivlin wrote about the flood on Twitter, saying "Our thoughts and prayers go to our brothers, children, our loved ones, and those in danger. We're following the situation in the south closely and are sending a warm embrace to the effected families. We will strengthen and lend help to the forces who are currently working to rescue, find and treat those injured. I ask all to please follow their instructions."

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