Rescue teams find body
Photo: Hertzl Yosef
2 brothers, cousin, drown in reservoir
Police believe brothers were swimming in dangerous reservoir with cousin, whose body was found following day
Two Bedouin brothers from Hura drowned Friday afternoon while swimming in a reservoir in Yatir Forest. A third family member, their cousin, had also drowned, and his body was uncovered Saturday morning.
A friend of the three young men, aged 16, 17, and 23, said one of them had been trying to take water from the reservoir but fell in, prompting the other two to try to save him while he went to get help. However, police say they are not ruling out the possibility that the three went swimming in the reservoir and drowned.
Rescue forces succeeded in finding the bodies of the two brothers after an hour and a half of searching, but the third was not found by sunset. The search for their cousin resumed on Saturday, and police divers uncovered his body and transferred it to the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba.
According to the Jewish National Fund, the reservoir is dangerous and swimming in it is strictly prohibited.
It is surrounded by a fence and a number of Danger signs, but hikers have been known to ignore these warnings. Its waters are used for the fields surrounding Mount Hebron.
The friend of the three victims called in the report of their drowning at 5:30 pm, and paramedics, a search and rescue party, police, and IDF forces were alerted to the scene.
