Hala Azzam and Iman Khair entered the river with another girl, who managed to get out and report them missing; rescue teams searched the water, banks and riverbed for hours, locating both girls dead about two hours apartHala Azzam and Iman Khair, two girls aged 13 and 14, drowned Saturday afternoon in the Jordan River during a family trip.The two entered the river with another girl, who managed to get out of the water on her own and reported that the others were missing. Both girls were found dead within five hours, about two hours apart.Two teenage girls found dead after being swept away in Jordan River (Photo: Avihu Shapira, Israel Police, Israel Fire and Rescue Services)Relatives said the girls had been on a routine family outing, similar to trips they took almost every week. The first report of their disappearance was received shortly before 5 p.m.After the first rescue teams arrived, they were joined by the Fire and Rescue Services’ Lahava Unit, which specializes in water rescues. Police also took part in the searches and sent a helicopter to assist from the air.The first girl was found at about 8 p.m. The second was located roughly two hours later.Northern District Fire and Rescue Commander Yair Elkayam said teams continued searching even after nightfall.Hala Azzam and Iman Khair “For several hours, fire crews and Lahava Unit divers, alongside volunteers from the Golan Rescue Unit, searched the riverbanks and the riverbed,” Elkayam said. “We continued the searches after nightfall and did everything possible until we located the second missing girl, who was unfortunately pronounced dead.”MDA paramedic Eli Ben Zaken said after the first girl was found that emergency teams had been called to the scene following a report of a drowning in the Jordan River.“A few hours ago, a call was received at MDA’s 101 emergency dispatch center about a girl who had drowned in the Jordan River, and after prolonged searches and scans, fire crews brought us a girl about 13 years old who was unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing,” he said. “We performed medical checks, but unfortunately we had no choice but to pronounce her dead.”First published: 18:40, 06.27.26