Last update - 00:00 21/08/2007
Two teens seriously hurt in boating accident off the coast of Eilat
By Revital Levy-Stein, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Four teenagers were hurt Tuesday afternoon, one critically, one seriously and the other two lightly, in a boating accident off the coast of Eilat.
The accident occurred some 500 meters from the beach. The youths, between the ages of 14 and 16, were on an "inner tube" tire pulled by a motorboat, when their tire hit a second boat used for water-skiers.
A sailor from the water-skiing boat was also lightly hurt.
Two other boats noticed the collision, hurried to the area and then rescued the four injured teens from the water.
Yohai Deri, one of the sailors present, called Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service teams to the beach. Deri, also working as a medic, then performed artificial resuscitation on the youths.
Rani Rosenfeld, MDA Negev region spokesman and paramedic, said when his team arrived at the scene "we found two of the injured we pulled out of the water unconscious."
"One of them had a serious head wound and another suffered from injuries all over his body. The two others were lightly hurt and fully conscious, and were treated by MDA, Rosenfeld added.
The four teens are from the Gan Yavneh region in the center of the country, and had come to Eilat with their families on vacation. They were taken to the city's Yosephtal Medical Center for treatment. From there, the two youths seriously and critically hurt were transferred to Be'er Sheva's Soroka hospital.
Eilat police and the Ministry of Transport's Administration of Shipping and Ports are investigating the accident.