Police are working to identify a man who drowned Thursday night at Shikmim Beach on the Sea of Galilee.
The man, believed to be in his 30s, entered the water at an unmonitored section of the beach where no lifeguard was present, police said. After he failed to return, a bystander who saw him go in alerted authorities.
Marine police officers, assisted by local forces, launched a search and found the man’s body a few meters from shore, caught in vegetation and trees. He was wearing only a swimsuit, and no personal belongings were found nearby.
“The circumstances of the drowning are unclear, and it is possible he encountered a drop-off in the lake,” said Chief Inspector Gal Farkash, head of the investigations and intelligence division of the Tiberias police. “No one has reported him missing in the Sea of Galilee. For us, this is truly a mystery — who is the man who drowned without leaving behind any identification or clue about who he was?”
The body was sent to the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Tel Aviv for an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
Magen David Adom, Israel’s national emergency service, said its paramedics attempted resuscitation after marine police pulled the man from the water. “He had no pulse and was not breathing,” said paramedic Eli Asulin. “We began advanced resuscitation that included chest compressions, assisted ventilation and medication, but after prolonged efforts we had to declare his death at the scene.”
The emergency service received the call at 9:38 p.m. Thursday.