Young man drowns trying to save stranger in Haifa
Saleh Awaysi, 28, from Nazareth, jumped into the sea Friday to rescue a stranger from drowning, but then disappeared, swept by the waves; he was eventually found Saturday morning; this is the third drowning this week.
Saleh Awaysi, 28, from Nazareth drowned Saturday morning while trying to rescue a stranger from drowning. His body was discovered near the Students Beach in the northern city of Haifa.
This is the third drowning case this week in which a man drowned while trying to save another. Last Saturday, a man drowned in the undeclared shore in the northern Achziv Beach, and another man almost drowned this Saturday on the same Haifa beach. He was pulled out of the water in moderate-to-serious condition.
Awaysi drowned early Saturday in Haifa's Dado Beach. According to information received by the police, he entered the water when he heard a stranger calling for help. The stranger was rescued and evacuated to a nearby hospital, but Awaysi could not be found.
Police were called to the scene and found Awaysi's personal belongings on the beach. Family members who arrived at the scene identified his belongings.
The search was carried out by large police forces, including Israel's Marine Police force operating in deep sea, as well as ground forces operating on the coast. At dawn, a helicopter, a marine motorbike, and police volunteer divers joined the search.
All the while, the family received constant updates from policemen on the beach.
At about 11:30am on Saturday morning, the police found the body of a man floating near the Students Beach. The MDA teams arriving at the scene pronounced him dead, and the deceased's brother identified the body.
Lior Sudri, a meteorologist from Meteo-Tech, said that in recent days the sea, especially in the north, has been high and turbulent. On Friday the waves reached 2.5 meters in height. "By Wednesday, there will still be a great danger of bathing in the sea, and people have to be careful," Sudri said.
This is Haifa's second case of drowning this week. Dudi Caspi, 49, drowned while trying to rescue a young man from drowning. The young man was pulled out of the water and evacuated to a hospital in moderate condition. Caspi was rushed to Rambam Hospital, and died the following day.
The deceased's brother, Eric Argento, said that Caspi was strolling on the beach with his girlfriend when he heard someone calling for help. "He wasn’t even in the water, but he took off his jeans, handed them to his girlfriend, jumped in the water to save the stranger, and drowned. They managed to save the other guy, and my brother got to the shore unconscious, after drowning and probably suffering from cardiac arrest. He, who wanted so much to help others, did not survive," Argento said.
