Toddler dies a week after near-drowning in family pool

Doctors say 3-year-old Anael Cohen was admitted in critical condition; MDA reports surge in drownings this year

A toddler who was seriously injured after nearly drowning in a pool in northern Israel died Thursday of her injuries.

Doctors said three-year-old Anael Cohen died overnight a week after she was admitted to the Emek Medical Center in Afula in critical condition.

She was found unconscious in her family’s pool in Moshav Meitav last week.

Friends and neighbors from Meitav told Hebrew-language media outlets that the girl’s drowning has shocked the entire community.

“The residents of Meitav deeply regret and send their condolences to the family… one moment has brought such tragedy. We still have not processed it,” representatives of the community said.

According to Magen David Adom, the number of drownings in 2018 is 12 times higher than recorded during the entire swimming season last year.

Since the start of swimming season mid-March, MDA said its paramedics have treated 201 people who have been pulled out of beaches or pools. Of those, 51 people have died, including 13 young children.