Man dies after being sucked into sinkhole in Israeli pool
Israeli pool sinkhole claims man's life; homeowners under investigation
A video circulating on social media captured the horrifying moment a man was sucked into a sinkhole while swimming in an Israeli pool.
In 2022, 32-year-old Klil Kimhi was swimming with others in Karmej Yosef in central Israel when the pool suddenly drained within seconds.
Kimhi was attending a work party when the incident took place.
Footage shared on Twitter shows the sinkhole enlarging and pulling pool floats into the pit. Inflatable items, including a flamingo, vanished into the hole as another man slipped but was quickly helped out of danger by fellow swimmers.
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Most people in the pool managed to escape before the situation worsened, although one man narrowly avoided being sucked in.
Police later confirmed Kimhi’s death due to the incident.
Authorities said: “After extensive searches, The Police, The Fire and Rescue Services and the IDF Homefront Command found the missing man, a roughly 30-year-old Tel Aviv resident—sadly, he was deceased.”
The BBC reported that Kimhi fell into a 43ft deep hole, and rescue teams took four hours to reach him, according to local sources.
A second man was also briefly pulled into the sinkhole but managed to escape with minor injuries.
Paramedic Uri Damari told The Jerusalem Post: “This is an extremely rare incident. When I arrived, I saw a pit at the bottom of the empty pool. Witnesses said the pit opened suddenly, and the pool’s water was sucked in within seconds.”
A party attendee informed Israel’s Channel 12 that 50 people were at the event, while another mentioned six were in the pool when the sinkhole formed, creating a vortex that pulled in two people.
Following the incident, Israeli police launched an investigation, leading to the arrest of the homeowners.
The couple, in their sixties, were initially suspected of causing death by negligence, as reported by NBC News, and were later released under house arrest for five days under restrictive conditions.
Israeli media indicated that the couple had allegedly constructed the pool without proper permits.
What Other Media Are Saying
- The Daily Beast reports that a man, Klil Kimhi, died after being sucked into a sinkhole that opened under a swimming pool during a private party in central Israel, with emergency services conducting a four-hour search to locate and recover his body.(read more)
- Unilad reports that a man, Klil Kimhi, died after being pulled into a sinkhole that opened up in a swimming pool during a private function in Karmei Yosef, Israel, with rescue efforts finding him dead after a four-hour search.(read more)
- NBC News reports on a tragic incident where a man died after being sucked into a sinkhole that opened up during a private pool party in Israel. The homeowners, a couple in their sixties, were arrested and released under house arrest for five days, suspected of causing death by negligence. The party was attended by nearly 50 people, with six in the pool at the time of the incident.(read more)
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some common questions asked about this news
What happened to Klil Kimhi in the pool sinkhole incident?
Klil Kimhi died after being sucked into a sinkhole that appeared in a pool during a party in Israel.
How deep was the sinkhole that appeared in the pool?
The sinkhole was 43 feet deep.
Did anyone else get injured in the pool sinkhole incident?
Yes, another man was sucked in but managed to escape with light injuries.
What legal actions were taken following the incident?
The house owners were arrested and later released under house arrest conditions.
Was the pool built legally?
No, Israeli media reported that the pool was supposedly built without proper licensing.
