19-year-old from Jerusalem drowns in Sea of Galilee

Young man entered the water Thursday morning at a beach without a lifeguard; police recover his body after wide-ranging search

By ToI Staff 25 April 2019, 11:03 amUpdated at 4:45 pm

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Naval police conduct search for teen missing at the Sea of Galilee on April 25, 2019 (Police Spokesperson's Unit)

Police said Thursday that they had recovered the body of a 19-year-old from Jerusalem who went missing after he went swimming in the Sea of Galilee.

The young man, named as Ariel Koslavski, is thought to have entered the water at a beach without a lifeguard.

Police said naval units, helicopters and scuba teams assisted in the search for the man.

The Sea of Galilee is Israel’s largest freshwater lake, covering around 166 square kilometers (64 square miles). Its shores are lined with vacation sites that host tens of thousands of Israelis during the week-long Passover festival that began last Friday night.

Last Passover, the bodies of three young men were recovered from the lake after a week-long search. The three drowned after strong winds blew their floating rafts away from the shore.