Residents of south Tel Aviv are outraged over the deaths of Dean Shoshani and Stav Harari, a young couple in their 20s who drowned in an elevator in a building in the Hatikva neighborhood that flooded on Saturday as a result of heavy rainfall.
Rescue crews had to use scuba gear to reach the elevator and pull out the pair. Harari was rushed to Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv in critical condition, suffering from hypothermia. Doctors attempted to revive her but were forced to declare her dead.
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Paramedics attempted to resuscitate Shoshani at the scene, then evacuated him to the Sheba Medical Center at Tel Hashomer for further treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries.
The downpour intensified in the afternoon and caused flooding in areas across the coastal city of Tel Aviv, forcing road closures and stoking fears of additional deaths.
Shoshani and Harari will be laid to rest in adjacent graves.
The scene of the elevator accident in south Tel Aviv
Video: Avi Cohen
"We had our Dean for 25 years and now we are giving him back," said Shoshani's father, weeping. "The police and the fire department have spoken with us. Welfare workers from the city have been here," the father said.
Harari's brother Amit left a Facebook post mourning his sister in which he wrote, "My big sister, the light of the family, the prettiest girl in kindergarten. I don't believe I'm waking up to a morning without you. It's not easy to take it, it's a tragedy for the whole family … I'm broken without you. I miss you," Harari wrote.
Although the horrific accident took place on Saturday afternoon, no response from the city was forthcoming until Saturday night, when Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai put out a short message that stated, "I want to offer my condolences to the families of the two [city] residents who were killed today."
Local resident Shoshana Cohen, 71, who lives near the building where Shoshani and Harari met their deaths, said Sunday that "It hurts to know that two young kids lost their lives in such a tragic death. The infrastructure here in the area is really bad, and we here in the south of the city are second-class citizens. But why do these sweet kids have to die because of that?"
The Tel Aviv-Jaffa Municipality said the accident was under investigation.
