Man swept away by northern river found, in critical condition
As rains pound country, air force helicopter, rescue teams locate victim who was carried away by Hilazon River near Karmiel
Stuart Winer is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
A man who was swept away early Monday morning by a flooding river in northern Israel was found in critical condition, following a search and rescue operation.
Police, volunteer rescue teams, and air force helicopters were involved in hour-long effort to locate the man, who was carried away by Hilazon stream near the northern city of Karmiel after heavy rains pounded the region, officials said.
He was taken to Rambam Medical Center in Haifa for emergency treatment. Two other men, who were part of the search effort to find him, were also taken to the hospital after suffering from exposure to cold.
Rescue services were first alerted to the incident around 6 a.m. The man was found approximately an hour later.
Heavy rains Sunday caused a swell in the water levels of streams in the north and other locations around the country.
The Hilazon river flows from south of the Beit Kerem valley in the Lower Galilee and continues west, where it joins the Na’aman river and then empties into the sea.
