Israelis watch flooded water running through a valley blocking the main road along the Dead Sea in the Judean desert, near the desert fortress of Masada north of Ein Bokek, following heavy rainfall in the mountains on April 25, 2018. Photo by AFP
Another student was unaccounted for and the search was suspended as night fell and heavy thunderstorms returned to the region, police said.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described the event as a "terrible disaster" and praised rescuers for their efforts.
After two days of heavy rainfall, normally arid river beds that run from west to east have filled up and deposited surges of water into the Dead Sea and the rift valley region that runs south along the Negev Desert.
