An avalanche of rocks has fallen downhill on a hiking trail near the Dead Sea in Israel, trapping many people, killing a 5-year-old boy and injuring at least six others.
Israel’s Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, right, receives information from first responders at a rock scene that took place in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, on the western shore of the Dead Sea, a popular tourist site in Israel, Thursday, August 24, 2023. Israeli medics say an avalanche of rocks fell down a slope in Israel near the Dead Sea, injuring at least seven people, including children. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)
The Associated Press
Jerusalem — An avalanche of rocks fell downhill on a hiking trail near the Dead Sea in Israel on Thursday, trapping many people, killing a 5-year-old boy and injuring at least six others, doctors said.
The volunteer emergency medical service United Hatzalah said rescue teams recovered several people trapped under the rubble. Israeli military helicopters airlifted the victims to nearby hospitals.
The Israeli rescue service Magen David Adom said the victims were between 4 and 40 years old, including the boy who was found unconscious and could not be brought back. A 4-year-old girl was in moderate condition and others were in less serious condition.
Medics said that the situation was worse because it was difficult to reach the site of the landslide.
The rock slide happened in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve on the western shore of the Dead Sea, a site that is popular with many tourists.
It was not immediately clear what caused the rock. They usually occur when heavy rains or earthquakes create cracks on a rocky slope.
