Rower dies in Jordan River accident

A rower died near Beit Hillel Saturday after his kayak overturned in the Jordan River and left him trapped beneath it.

The man, 47, and three members of his family were on board the kayak when it got caught in tree vines along the riverbank and turned over. The man’s wife and children managed to swim to safety but he was stuck under the vessel.

According to witnesses at the scene, the man was trapped underwater for over seven minutes before passerby managed to pull him out of the river.

A medical team and paramedics attempted to perform CPR on the man, then rushed him to the Ziv Medical Center in Safed. The man, who suffered severe trauma to the head, was pronounced dead en route to the Medical Center.

Also Saturday, a two-and-a-half year old girl from a northern Israeli town was rushed to a Tel Aviv hospital after her parents found her unconscious in their private pool. The toddler was reported in moderate condition.

On Friday, a 53-year-old man drowned at an Ashkelon beach. The man’s body was washed ashore near the Ashkelon National Park where a MDA team pronounced him dead.