Police, emergency services searching for people, vehicles trapped in southern Israel floods

Multiple roads in southern Israel and the Dead Sea area, including the roads leading to and from Eilat, were closed due to flooding and the risk of flash floods.

Israel Police and volunteer rescue units are searching for people and vehicles reported lost or trapped in flooded areas of the Negev and Arava as heavy rainfall has created dangerous conditions on Election Day.

Rescue teams conducted ground and air searches to locate the missing individuals and vehicles.

In Beersheba, parking lots and shopping malls flooded, and residents reported that several traffic lights stopped functioning.

Power outages caused by the weather also disrupted voting in Meitar, causing a polling station to be temporarily closed. 

Roads closed due to flooding, flash flood risk

Flooding and the risk of flash floods closed multiple roads in southern Israel and the Dead Sea area, including all roads leading to and from Eilat, according to Ynet. 

Police closed Route 90 due to the severe weather. Yoni Stern, a resident of Neot HaKikar, where residents have been stranded in their vehicles due to closures, told Ynet, "Many Arava residents, myself included, are stuck on the road and cannot exercise our right to vote. We're getting no response from the Central Elections Committee or the police. I'm stuck at Arava Junction and need to get to my polling station. They need to extend voting hours or reopen the road."

Near Eilat, Ynet reported 17 millimeters of rainfall fell in just three hours on Tuesday. Other parts of the Arava also saw heavy rainfall, with Neot Smadar receiving nearly a quarter of its annual rainfall in one afternoon, the report added.