Ukrainian refugee, 16, drowns off Acre two months after landing in Israel
Paramedics pronounce teenager’s death at the scene; social workers to speak Monday to classmates, some of whom were present during the incident
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A teenager who escaped the war in Ukraine and fled to Israel drowned Sunday off the coast of Acre in northern Israel.
The Magen David Adom rescue service said a boy, 16, was pulled out of the water unconscious off Acre’s Argaman Beach around 7:30 p.m. Medics attempted to save the teen, but pronounced him dead at the scene.
The victim was identified in local media as one of tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees who have fled to Israel since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
The teenager was at the beach with fellow students from his school when a classmate noticed he was missing and alerted nearby passersby for help, Channel 12 news reported.
There was no lifeguard on the beach at the time, due to the late hour, according to the Walla news site, citing an initial investigation.
The teenager landed in Israel roughly two months ago with his mother and was enrolled at the local ORT Drasky High School.
Social workers and psychologists were expected to visit the school on Monday to speak with students, some of whom were present at the scene and witnessed the incident, reports said.
There have been several drownings in recent weeks, as the temperature rises and summer approaches.
Earlier this month, an Israeli woman drowned while on vacation with her husband in the Sinai Peninsula, and two people drowned while swimming in the Jordan River in separate incidents days apart.
The Times of Israel Community.