JERUSALEM, Dec 27 (NNN-MA’AN) – A young man was killed and a teenage boy went missing, in floods caused by unusual rainstorms in Israel on Thursday.
Rainstorms and thunderstorms swept through Israel, from north to south, since Wednesday night.
The casualty was identified as Majd Qassem Su’ad, a shepherd from the Bedouin village of Salama, in the Galilee. He was drowned in a flash flood, as he was trying to close a gate near a river.
Israel’s Magen David Adom emergency service said, the man was found unconscious and an ambulance rushed him to hospital, where he was declared dead.
In the nearby Druze town of Yarka, two persons, who were riding an all-terrain vehicle were swept away in the flash flood. A 23-year-old man was rescued and 14-year-old Omri Abu Janev was announced missing. Rescue teams, including divers, continue their attempts to locate him after nightfall.
Strong winds, reaching about 80-90 kph, sent a cargo ship off its route. The ship, sailing under the Panama flag and carrying cement, attempted to dock at the port of Ashdod, in southern Israel, before it drifted to a nearby beach. Port officials said, they were working to re-float the vessel.
Especially heavy rains were reported in northern and central Israel, as entire streets were flooded in the Arab towns of Tayibe, Umm al-Fahm, Baqa al-Gharbiyye, Qalansawe, and Kafr Qara.
According to Israel Meteorological Service, rains are forecasted to increase today (Friday), before they will weaken on Saturday (tomorrow).– NNN-MA’AN