A counselor at the pre-army preparatory program that organized a trip in which 10 Israeli teenagers were killed by flash floods told investigators she suggested the trip be canceled because of weather conditions, Haaretz learned Saturday.
Another staff member backed up her claim with evidence, police said. She was questioned by police Thursday and was then released to house arrest. Parents and other sources told Haaretz that staff members altered the trip’s route multiple times because of concerns over potential flooding.
‘We Deserve Answers:’ Families, Friends Lay to Rest Teens Killed in Flash Floods
The families are demanding answers as to how such a disaster could have occurred. Several parents and members of the program raised concerns to staff before the trip and received reassurances. “As some of you have noticed, there may be rainy weather in the south on some of the days of the trip,” a guide wrote in a WhatsApp group for participants. “The trip is of course still occurring.”
On Friday, Yuval Kahan, the head of the Bnei Zion preparatory seminar, was arrested for alleged negligent manslaughter for his decision to take the group out on the trip, despite the harsh weather conditions. Aviv Bardichev, a fellow staff member, was also arrested and both will remain in custody until Tuesday.
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Most of the victims were 12th graders who were enrolling in the Bnei Zion pre-military academy starting this fall for the next academic year’s program before enlisting in the military.
The victims of the floods were: Ella Or, from Ma’ale Adumim; Gali Balali, from Givatayim; Agam Levy, from Moshav Herut; Shani Shamir, from Shoham; Adi Ra’anan, from Mikhmoret; Yael Sadan and Maayan Barhum from Jerusalem; Romi Cohen, from Moshav Maor; Tzur Alfi, from Mazkeret Batya and Ilan Bar Shalom from Rishon Letzion.
Text messages show that one of the girls who was killed told friends she was worried for her safety on the hike, the Israel Television News Company reported. “I can’t believe I’m actually going hiking in weather like this. It doesn’t make sense to go to a place that’s completely flooded. It’s tempting fate. We’re going to die – I’m serious,” she wrote to her friends on the messaging application WhatsApp a day before the trip.
Article source: http://www.jpost.com/Israel-News/Culture/La-Boheme-515263
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