A young boy is in moderate condition after he was pulled from a pool in the city of Rishon Letzion located in central Israel on Wednesday morning.

The 3-year-old victim was treated by United Hatzalah first responders at a local city-run pool after nearly drowning. The boy was pulled from the water by passersby and then received treatment from United Hatzalah EMTs, who arrived within a few moments after being alerted to the incident, according to a statement made the organization’s spokesperson’s office.

The toddler was transported via ambulance to the hospital, where he will receive further treatment. The incident is being investigated by the police.

This is the second drowning incident involving a child this week. On Monday, a boy, just over three years old almost died after he drowned in a pool in Dimona. On Sunday, Eren Vardi, the boy who drowned in a pool in Kibbutz Yagur n Wednesday passed away in the hospital due to the drowning. He was rushed to the hospital while still undergoing CPR after he drowned. He was hospitalized in the intensive care unit and doctors fought for his life for four days before the young boy finally succumbed. He never regained consciousness.

A wave of toddler and infant drownings has hit Israel this year in an almost plague-like fashion. 63 instances of child or infant drownings have occurred in Israel before today. Out of those 63 incidents, 29 of the drowning cases were fatal. This is more than double the amount of drownings that occurred throughout the entire year of 2017.

A recent report in USA Today said that lifeguarding organizations, as well as police around the globe, are suggesting that child and infant drownings at pools are being caused by distracted parents who are involved with their smartphones. While no official investigation has been conducted in Israel with regard to the effects of smartphones on child drownings, parents are being encouraged to pay close attention to their children at pools or bodies of water and to put down their phones.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)