A 14-year-old boy, Nehemia Aharoni, was found drowned in a reservoir near Beit Shemesh on Thursday night after losing contact with his classmates during a school field trip, Israeli media reported.The teen's principal and teacher were arrested on Thursday night under suspicion of negligence that led to his death, and this morning (Friday) were put on house arrest for 5 days.
Israel Police reportedly began searching for Aharoni, a resident of Beit Shemesh, after his schoolmates reported losing contact with him near 4 p.m. in a forest near the Beit Jamal Monastery near Beit Shemesh.
Search teams — including a police helicopter — from Israel Police, Border Police and volunteers from the Etzion-Yehuda Rescue Unit searched throughout the evening, eventually finding him at the reservoir.
MDA paramedic Nissim Salem said in a statement following the incident that "When we arrived at the scene we noticed the reservoir of water from which the boy was pulled. He was unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing. We performed medical tests but he was without signs of life and we had no choice but to determine his death."
A spokesperson for the ZAKA rescue and recovery organization said that the boy was found by ZAKA's diving unit.
Haim Otmezgin, commander of ZAKA's special units division said that "Tonight, around 8 p.m., the crews of the diving unit and ZAKA volunteers set off in search of a 14-year-old boy who went with his classmates for a walk in the Eucaliptus Park near Beit Shemesh and went missing."
"His friends searched for him for hours and were unable to locate him, the family members turned to ZAKA for help in locating him, and after extensive efforts and searches, the boy was located by volunteers from ZAKA's diving unit and taken to be treated by MDA crews who were at the scene.The Education Ministry announced that it had stopped all of the school's trips, and that the incident is being investigated by the police. It also announced that a team of psychologists and educational advisors has been sent to the school to provide support and assistance, and will continue to do so in the near future. In addition, the Ministry said it will accompany, support and assist the boy's family.