Rescue teams search for swimmer who disappeared in Sea of Galilee
24-year-old man from East Jerusalem was enjoying the beach with a friend when the two were swept away from shore by currents
Rescue forces were searching Saturday for a swimmer who went missing in the Sea of Galilee the day before, after he and a friend were carried away by currents.
Ali Agbaria, a 24-year-old from East Jerusalem, was on an inflatable mattress with his friend when the two began drifting away from shore.
Passers-by who saw the two in trouble alerted the coast guard, which was able to locate and extricate the friend. Agbaria, however, was missing. Police and rescue teams spent the night and morning searching for him with the aid of boats, divers and helicopters.
Two people drowned in the Sea of Galilee in June. In April three young men disappeared in the lake in separate but concurrent incidents, launching a days-long search effort. Their bodies were eventually found.
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.