12-year-old boy dies of cardiac arrest

A 12-year-old boy died on Monday afternoon, apparently after suffering a cardiac arrest while at his Rishon Lezion school.

The boy, a student at the Hafetz Haim religious school, collapsed without warning as he was descending some stairs in the school together with classmates.

Magen David Adom paramedics who were called to the scene found the boy, who had no external injuries, lying unconscious at the bottom of the stairs.

Medics could detect no heartbeat or breathing and immediately tried to resuscitate the boy using a variety of means, including artificial respiration, external massage, and medication.

The boy was taken to Assaf Harofeh Medical Center but doctors were unable to save his life.

An examination pointed to a heart attack as the cause of death.