Twenty-one people have been rescued from the Dead Sea this year.
By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICHdead sea 311(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski/The Jerusalem Post))
The Dead Sea has been a sea of death for a quarter of those who have drowned in Israeli waters in recent years, according to Magen David Adom statistics released on Wednesday. Although many think one can’t drown – but only float – in the salty lake, people can, said MDA.So far this year, 117 people have been rescued and pulled out of the Mediterranean Sea, Red Sea, Dead Sea and the Kinneret. Of these, 21 were at the Dead Sea.Since the beginning of this year, 23 have died in drowning accidents.In all of 2009, the figure was 31 and in 2008 it totalled 44. MDA treated 45 people last year after they were pulled from the Dead Sea, in addition to 22 from the Kinneret and the Red Sea. In 2008, 34 people were pulled out of the Dead Sea and only 13 from the Kinneret and Red Sea. However, the Mediterranean Sea remains dangerous and has the most bathers. MDA reported that it dealt with 178 cases in 2008 and 121 cases in 2009.MDA called on bathers to follow the instructions of lifeguards. Many drowning cases occur at beaches where there are no lifeguards present.It also recommended that every citizen learns basic resuscitation techniques. In numerous cases, passersby are the first to try to resuscitate people who have been pulled out of the sea, and every minute is important. In some cases, MDA medics were able to continue the process and save the victims lives after a passerby had initiated the process.
