A man and his teenage daughter drowned while swimming at a beach south of Tel Aviv, hospital officials from Shamir (Assaf Harofeh) Medical Center in Be’er Yaakov announced Wednesday morning.
Sakar Tarad Atouna, 50, and his 19-year-old daughter Dina’a Atouna – residents of the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev – drowned while swimming off of a beach near Palmachim south of Tel Aviv Tuesday evening.
The two were pulled from the water at an unmarked, unattended beach, and rushed to the hospital. The father was listed in critical condition, while his daughter was listed in serious condition.
Early Wednesday morning, however, both victims were declared dead at the hospital.
The incident is the latest in a string of drownings and near-drownings across Israel Tuesday evening that left five others seriously injured or in critical condition, and a sixth in moderate condition.
A 21-year-old man was left moderately injured Tuesday evening after nearly drowning at an unsupervised beach in Haifa.
Half an hour later, three children, ages 6, 8, and 14, nearly drowned at a beach in Ashkelon, leaving them in serious condition.
Minutes later, a five-year-old boy nearly drowned in a stream near Messilot in northern Israel. He was rushed to HaEmek Medical Center in critical condition.
An hour after that, at a quarter to nine Tuesday evening, an 18-year-old woman was rushed to Ichilov Medical Center in critical condition, after being pulled from the water at a Tel Aviv swimming pool.