Tenteenagers died and several others were seriously injured in flash floods that struck Israel near the Dead Sea, the country's rescue service said Thursday.

The teenagers, all of whom were 18 years old, were hiking near the Dead Sea with a group of 25 students in a pre-army course when the kids were "caught off guard," spokesman Micky Rosenfeld told the Associated Press.

The hikeoccurred inNahal Tzafit, a popular canyon trail , according to the Times of Israel.

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At least nine other teenagers in the group were seriously injured, officials told the AP. Police and army helicopters were among nearly 700 people who searched for the missing until nightfall, , Haaretz reported.

On Friday, three youth leaders were arrested , the Washington Post reported. Nine of the victims were female, and one was male, the report added.

An Israeli news station broadcast a WhatsApp exchange between one of the victims and her friend; the victim complained about the dangers they experienced along the hike before it turned fatal.

"We could end up dying there," the girl said to her friend, as reported by the Washington Post.

Two other teenagers were killed by flooding in Israel on Wednesday, Haaretz also said.

"Israel grieves the promising young lives that were cut off by this tragedy in the Arava," Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement. "We embrace the families with grief and pray for the speedy recovery of the wounded."

Israeli soldiers walk towards a military helicopter during a search mission for several young people missing near Arava in southern Israel after flash floods swept through the area while they were hiking near the Dead Sea on April 26, 2018. - Police did not specify how many students were missing but media reports said at least seven hikers were in critical condition, from a group of about 25 from a pre-army preparatory program. (Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)