Dječak spašen iz Mrtvog mora nakon šest sati

Osmogodišnji dječak spašen je nakon što je šest sati plutao u Mrtvom moru. Shneur Zalman Friedman slučajno je ostavljen u moru gdje ga je zaboravio vlastiti otac nakon obiteljskog izleta. Dječak, njegova dva brata i otac kupali su se na dijelu plaže koji je rezerviran isključivo za ortodoksne Židove. Otac je izašao van sa ostalima i nije primijetio da su dječaka valovi udaljili od obale sve dok nije pala noć. Kada je nađen Shneur je bio dehidriran i uplašen, ali bez ozljeda. They said they would not press charges against the errant parent. The Dead Sea, the lowest point on earth and one of Israel's most popular tourist attractions, has an abnormally high salt concentration that allows swimmers to float on the surface. Rescue workers said the boy, Shneur Zalman Friedman, from Jerusalem, was in the sea with his father and two brothers on Thursday evening when currents swept him away from shore, without anyone else noticing. Police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the family was part of a large group visiting a beach reserved for ultra-Orthodox Jewish men -- who do not bathe in the presence of women -- away from main public areas. His father left the water with other members of the group and only noticed the boy was missing as darkness fell, Rosenfeld said. A major search by police helicopters and volunteers in motorboats finally found Shneur about 2 miles from the shore early Friday after six hours in the strong-smelling, corrosive water, Yehuda Meshi-Zahav of the Zaka rescue organization said. The boy was dehydrated and frightened but otherwise healthy, he said. Shneur told his rescuers he remained calm throughout the ordeal, saying prayers and thinking about his school friends as he floated in the darkness. "The boy said that he didn't try to swim, he just drifted with the current," Rosenfeld said. The mineral-laden waters of the Dead Sea helped keep the boy afloat but could have choked him had he panicked and swallowed large quantities, said Omer Cohen of the Megilot volunteer rescue unit. After hours of fruitless searching, workers had all but given up hope of finding the boy alive. "We thought we were looking for a body," Cohen said. "We were surprised to find the boy alive and well." E-mail to a friend