A 23-year-old Israeli vacationing in Colombia was killed Thursday afternoon when a tandem paraglider crashed in a wooded ravine in the San Felix area of Antioquia, Bechadrei Chareidim reports. The local instructor flying with him was critically injured and rushed to a hospital.
The crash occurred around noon near the Medellin–San Pedro de los Milagros road after the paraglider lost control. Local officials and eyewitnesses reported strong winds and severe weather in the area that may have contributed to the accident.
Firefighters arrived with an ambulance and rescue vehicles to recover the Israeli’s body and evacuate the injured instructor.
Prosecutors opened an investigation and began collecting evidence at the scene. Local authorities also inspected the paragliding operator and reportedly found its operations in order, though the circumstances of the crash remain under investigation.
Following the tragic news, local Chabad shliach Rabbi Levi Vanunu began working closely with the Israeli Embassy and Colombian authorities to arrange the return of the young man’s body to Israel.
Those involved are working around the clock to expedite the required paperwork and bring him to kevurah in Eretz Yisrael as soon as possible.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
