JERUSALEM: An Israel-Lebanon border blast killed a teenager and injured 19 others on Monday during a school hiking trip in northern Israel, according to emergency responders.
The explosion struck students and teachers from ORT Ma’alot school on Ramim Ridge, near the Pe’er observation point.
Israel’s Magen David Adom (MDA) emergency service confirmed the death. Two people suffered serious injuries, while three others were in moderate condition.
Earlier, medics had reported one critically injured person before confirming the fatality. Police dispatched bomb disposal specialists to investigate the explosion and identify the device responsible.
Meanwhile, the Israeli military sent combat engineers to examine the surrounding area for additional unexploded munitions.
Three Israeli Air Force helicopters assisted with casualty evacuations. According to a preliminary military assessment, a student may have picked up a submunition believed to have come from a Hezbollah rocket.
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Investigators suspect the student placed the device inside a backpack before it exploded several minutes later. However, authorities have yet to complete their investigation into the explosive device’s origin and the circumstances of its detonation.
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An explosion involving suspected unexploded ordnance killed a teenager and injured 19 others during a school hiking trip near Israel’s northern border with Lebanon.
