JERUSALEM, Aug. 5 (UPI) -- A young boy who was swept more than a mile out into the Dead Sea while swimming with his family was rescued by Israeli searchers five hours later.
Haaretz reported that 8-year-old Shneur Zalman Friedman spent most of his time awaiting rescue in the Dead Sea reciting psalms and considering what his best options were.
Search and rescue teams used satellite navigation equipment to narrow down where the child might be and eventually came across the frightened boy.
Zaka search and rescue squad member Yehuda Meshi-Zahav said that despite the fear the boy felt floating in the Dead Sea on Thursday, he remained alert until rescuers finally came.
"He remembered that he shouldn't drink the water, and made sure to keep his mouth closed," Meshi-Zahav said. "He also said that at certain points he even tried to reach the mountains he saw in the distance, which he thought were close."
The boy was reunited with his family and taken to a hospital for a series of tests.
