Two 13-year-old girls were found dead Saturday night after they were swept away by the current in the Jordan River near the northern community of Lehavot HaBashan, in the Galilee Panhandle.

The girls’ bodies were found after hours of intense search and rescue efforts by police, Magen David Adom and the Fire and Rescue Services.

According to Hebrew media reports, the girls had come to bathe in the river with a third girl during a family trip, but came to the river without any adults present. The two were reported missing by their friend, who said they were swept away by the current.

After the first girl’s body was found in the evening, an MDA medic told reporters at the scene: “After extensive searches and scans, the fire service found a 13-year-old girl who was unconscious, without a pulse and not breathing. We performed medical tests, but unfortunately, we had no choice but to declare her dead.”

A statement from the Fire and Rescue Services at the time said........

© The Times of Israel