Families of victims of Tzafit stream disaster sue academy, state for damages

The families of the victims of the Tzafit stream disaster, in which 10 teenagers in a pre-military academy lost their lives in a flash flood, are suing the school and the state for their loved ones’ deaths.

The lawsuit filed at the Lod District Court demands compensation from Bnei Zion Academy, the Education Ministry and Defense Ministry for their parts in the tragedy.

The families did not cite a figure they desire from the defendants, saying they are leaving the decision up to the court.

In October the academy’s ex-director Yuval Kahan and ex-counselor Aviv Bardichev were charged with 10 counts each of negligent homicide, for organizing the ill-advised hike to the Tzafit stream in April 2018 during flooding despite receiving multiple warnings of the danger of such an exploit.