Hikers at Nahal David (Archives)
צילום: אורן אגמון
Tourist dies of heatstroke
Heat wave claims third victim; tourist dies of dehydration, sunstroke during hike through nature reserve
A 50-year-old tourist died of heatstroke during a trip to the natural reserve of Nahal David in Ein Gedi on Sunday.
The tourist, who weighed about 160 kilograms, was evacuated to the Soroka University Medical Center in Beersheba by helicopter, where he died in the intensive care unit.
Paramedics initially thought the man suffered from an epileptic attack, but after being examined at the hospital, it was discovered that he in fact suffered from heatstroke and dehydration.
Paramedics also evacuated a woman in her sixties who suffered from dehydration during a trip in the Golan. The woman was taken to a hospital in light condition.
In recent days, two other hikers died of dehydration in both the north and the south.
A 15-year-old yeshiva student from central Israel died Friday afternoon after he collapsed due to dehydration during a trip to Amud River in the north.
The boy was apparently hiking with his peers, and after a walk that lasted a few hours along the river, he started feeling ill. He leaned against a tree to rest, but lost his balance and fell, hitting his head.
One of his friends called local rescue squads to the scene. When they arrived, they found the youth in critical condition; attempts to resuscitate him failed. He was air-lifted to the Ziv Hospital in Safed, where he was pronounced dead.
A day earlier, a 20-year-old yeshiva student died of dehydration while hiking at Nahal Tze’elim, a canyon located in the Judean Desert, near Masada.
At some point during the hike the student and four of his friends from a yeshiva in Jerusalem, finished their water supply and became dehydrated on what was one of the hottest days of the year, with temperatures reaching a high of 48 degrees Celsius (118 Fahrenheit).
