Last night (Wednesday), a complex and dramatic rescue operation by volunteers from the Israel Police's Galilee-Carmel rescue unit ended: Six family members - a grandmother and five grandchildren aged 10 to 15 in Safed - who were trying to reach the Lag BaOmer celebration on foot in Meron, lost their way and found themselves trapped on a dangerous cliff.
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The incident began in the early evening, when the police received a phone call from the grandmother. The grandmother reported that the family members were lost in the area, stuck on the cliff, unable to continue walking.
Despite the blanket ban on reaching the Rashbi's tomb, the family tried to make their way from Safed to Meron through the terrain. The rain that fell in the area made the slopes particularly slippery and dangerous, and the group found themselves trapped on the western slope of the stream.
Upon receiving the call, a search and rescue team was established in the Kfar Shamai parking lot. The unit's search teams operated in a race against time, while a team scanned the area and activated sirens until voice contact was established with the trapped people.
The operation was conducted in close cooperation with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority inspectors and United Hatzalah volunteers. A United Hatzalah drone located the group in the heart of the cliff and illuminated the spot for the rescuers. In the first stage, a flashlight and thermal blankets were dropped from the air to prevent hypothermia among the children.
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Due to the difficult terrain conditions and slippery rocks, the unit's climbing, gliding and rescue team was deployed.
The rescuers built a complex rope system through which the family members were safely pulled out of the stream bed one by one. After a medical examination by the unit's paramedic, the family was evacuated safely to their home.
It is worth noting that this is the second consecutive day of work for volunteers from the Galilee-Carmel unit in the Meron sector, after the previous day the unit also engaged in rescuing hikers and worshippers in the area.
The rescue unit said: "We reiterate that reaching the Meron area is strictly prohibited. The combination of complex terrain conditions and volatile weather could end in disaster. Our volunteers worked long hours in the rain and using dedicated rope systems to bring the grandmother and her grandchildren home safely.".
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