Photo: Magen David Adom Spokesperson
Photo: Magen David Adom Spokesperson
US tourist declared dead after fall at Masada
American female fell some 8 meters and suffered heat stroke after laying in boiling heat for over an hour.
A 20-year-old American tourist fell and died Tuesday afternoon on Masada's Snake Path in the Negev across from the Dead Sea. The young female was traveling with an organized group and reportedly fell from a height of 8 meters.
The other members of the group only realized she was missing after some time and found her stuck, hanging off a steep drop and suffering from heat stroke. A team of medics from Magen David Adom arrived on the scene and declared her dead after trying to perform life-saving procedures.
Photo: Magen David Adom Spokesperson
Tuesday's harsh weather conditions and extreme heat seem to have sealed her fate after she was left hanging off the cliff for approximately one hour and 30 minutes. When her friends found her, the temperature outside was 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).
A paramedic from Magen David Adom said, "Under the cliff we saw a young woman, 20-years-old, laying, unconscious, not breathing, without a pulse, with multiple injuries, and all the signs of heat stroke. We gave her medical treatment and tried to resuscitate her, but after our efforts we were forced to declare her dead."
Nearby, in the area of the Dead Sea, 56 tourists were evacuated from Wadi Og due to the extreme heat. Two were evacuated by Magen David Adom in stable condition to Hadassah Hospital with dehydration. Rescue workers searched the Wadi to make sure that no one was left behind as the tour leaders didn't know how many tourists were with them.
