Swimmer drowns in Sea of Galilee
Tel Sheva man, 25, disappeared after entering water from unsupervised beach
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleSue Surkes is The Times of Israel's environment reporter
A 25-year-old man from southern Israel drowned while swimming in the Sea of Galilee Monday.
Ahmed Abu Jilyan, 25, from the town of Tel Sheva, had gone for a swim in an unrecognized beach and disappeared after diving while some 20 meters (65 feet) from the shore, a friend who swam with him told the NRG website.
The two entered the water from a stretch of sand between the recognized Green and Dekel beaches north of Tiberias on the west side of the lake.
Police divers found his body some 10 meters from the shore and after attempts at resuscitation, the Magen David emergency service pronounced him dead.
בחוף דקל בטבריה, צעיר כבן 25 שנכנס למים עם חברו לשחות וככה"נ טבע. במקום נערכים סריקות לאיתורו. pic.twitter.com/kenwQrUa8h
— דסק חדשות און ליין (@yosefbadichi) June 26, 2017
Israel Police reiterated their safety directions to holiday makers, urging them to visit recognized beaches with lifeguards only, not to go into deep water or to use inflatable floating devices because of the risk of being carried away, and not to go into the water alone.
Last Tuesday, a five-day search came to an end when divers using sonar equipment found the body of Natan Hajani, 25, in the same lake.
In April, three men drowned in separate incidents in the Sea of Galilee during very windy weather.
The Sea of Galilee is Israel’s largest freshwater lake, covering around 166 square kilometers (64 square miles).
Due to several years of drought, visitors have to walk some distance to get to the lake, which is initially shallow but drops quickly and deeply. The lake is also subject to windy conditions.
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