83-year-old man drowns off beach near Zichron Yaakov; son unable to save him

Son says they’d go to the beach every day; heart attack suspected

By ToI Staff 20 July 2022, 9:06 am Edit

Illustrative -- Dor Beach on September 9, 2017 (Hadas Parush/Flash90)

An 83-year-old man died Wednesday morning when he drowned off the coast of Dor Beach, near Zichron Yaakov.

The man’s son, who was with him at the time, said he saw his father get into distress and went into the water to help him, but couldn’t save him.

“Every morning I go to the sea with him,” the man told the Walla news site. “He knew how to swim well, he really liked going to the sea.”

Another son of the deceased man told the site that the family believed he had a heart attack.

Last week, four people drowned in a series of incidents within a 24-hour period. A 5-year-old boy who had been hospitalized in critical condition for two days after nearly drowning earlier this week died of his injuries Thursday morning.

Those deaths came amid a chaotic day on Israel’s beaches and waterways, as medics rushed to a seemingly endless string of near-drownings that left five others in critical or serious condition, including several children.