13 Yeshiva bochurim rescued in Judean Desert

The Megilot rescue unit evacuated 13 Yeshiva bochurim in the Judean desert over last Thursday night.

Yeshiva bochurim and children – among them a child of 9, went out on Thursday for a trip in the Hatzatzon stream in the Judean desert. They were not prepared properly for the trip, and were not equipped with enough water.

After a walk of many hours, they got stuck without water above a waterfall 60 meters high. Four of the hikers collapsed and suffered from dehydration and advanced exhaustion.

After they did not manage to advance, and darkness descended, a few of the hikers went down to the lower part of the waterfall and waited for their friends, but those could not go down because of the darkness.

The Megilot rescue unit was alarmed to the area, and its volunteers managed to climb up to the head of the cliff on which the hikers were found. The volunteers brought them water and gave first aid to those who dehydrated.

After a relief in the hikers' condition, the volunteers brought them down by means of ropes and climbing and snapling equipment on the slope of the waterfall.

The members of the unit continued helping the hikers reach road no. 90 so that they could finish their trip and reach transport which would take them home.

The condition of the hikers is good.

"We thought that only next week the rescue of Yeshiva bochurim will start…"


Gabi Bar Sheshet, deputy head of the Megilot rescue unit, who took part in the over- night rescue, told Behadrei Hareidim about the incident:

"Last night, close to 21:30, we got a call about two or three hikers who were dehydrated in the Hatzatzon stream in the Judean desert. After inquiry, it became clear that this was a group of 13 hikers, among them children, and four of them were dehydrated.

"At 23:30 we reached the group which was divided above and underneath the waterfall. Reaching them was very complicated. The route at night is very hard, even for us the rescuers. One of the group had one small torch, and they told that since the afternoon they were without water. Those who were dehydrated received immediate medical care.

"The hikers started their track at 5:30am, when they left Jerusalem, but something went wrong, and they started hiking at a delay. When we reached the hikers, they were all tired, thirsty and some were dehydrated.

"After a prolonged rescue, it ended at 6:00 am. The hareidi hikers from Jerusalem and other areas got home in a good condition.

"The Hatzatzon stream is one of the hardest hiking tracks in Israel and especially in the Judean desert, when one goes on it one must be prepared suitably," says Gabi. "We thought that only next week the rescue of Yeshiva bochurim will start, but this year they were early…

"When one goes out on a hike one must know exactly which track one is going on, what the length of the track is, what field conditions there are. In case there are people in the group who don't know to swim, one mustn't go into water tracks which need swimming, and one must plan it with a professional. There is no need to get dehydrated – in case there are changes in hours or the quantity of drinking, one must change plans. One must take into account that not in every place there's reception to be able to call the rescue units.

When a person goes hiking in the desert, he takes in much more water than regularly. We are talking of life danger as a result of dehydration and heat stroke. One must prepare with suitable clothing including proper walking shoes, sun hat, charged cell phones; inform where you are going to and when you're supposed to finish the track. And the main thing – plan the track so that with sunset the hikers will already be outside the track."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!