Rockslide at popular tourist hiking trail leaves 5-year-old dead, others injured

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Authorities rescued several people at a popular tourist trail in Israel after an apparent rockslide left a child dead and others injured, officials said.

Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority said Thursday that officials were still digging through the rubble for survivors after an avalanche of rocks tumbled onto the trail at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, which sits along the western shore of the Dead Sea in the Judean Desert.

The incident left a 5-year-old boy dead and injured at least six people, medics said.

Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said the victims ranged from 4 to 40 years old, including the boy who was found unconscious and could not be resuscitated. A 4-year-old girl was in moderate condition and others were less seriously injured.

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Inspectors from Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority assess the site of a rockslide, with the loose stones seen at left, in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a popular tourist site in Israel, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

United Hatzalah, a volunteer emergency medical service, said rescue teams recovered numerous people trapped under the rubble while Israel’s government deployed military helicopters to airlift victims to nearby hospitals.

Emergency personnel said the rescue effort was impeded by the fact that the landslide site was difficult to reach.

A warning sign at a waterfall near the site of a rockslide in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve in Israel, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

The Ein Gedi Nature Reserve is the biggest oasis in Israel and tourists from around the world visit the antiquities site each year, according to the Israeli Nature and Parks Authority.

An Israeli police helicopter works at the site of a rockslide in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli soldiers gather in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, on the western shore of the Dead Sea, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Visitors typically see its iconic waterfall and springs, including the David Waterfall – a year-round waterfall connected to the David Stream – and the Arugot Stream and hiking trail, park officials said.

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The oasis also boasts flowing brooks at the foot of the cliffs and is home to ibexes and rock hyraxes.

Ibex walk near the site of a rockslide in the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

The entrance to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, Thursday, Aug. 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Authorities said it was not immediately clear what caused the rockslide, although they typically occur when torrential rains or earthquakes create fissures in a rocky hillside.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.