In what is apparently the third tragedy to occur this week involving Israelis outside the country, the Foreign Ministry said Wednesday that an Israeli in his 20s had been killed while on a hike in Peru. The Israeli was apparently gliding on an “omega” air glider at high speeds, when he either fell or the secure harness he was wearing got loose.
The incident occurred in the Machu Picchu region, which is popular with hikers and adventurers. The Israeli incident in Lima is working with local authorities to investigate the incident. No details have been released yet on his identity.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that a 12-year-old Israeli girl died after a fire spread on a tourist ferry off the coast of Krabi in Thailand. The girl was in the bathroom when the fire broke and was locked in as it burned, her family stated. At least 100 other passengers were rescued.
In yet a third incident, the Israeli Embassy in Germany confirmed that a dead man found beaten beyond recognition in the ruins of a Gothic church in Berlin was an Israeli citizen. A Berlin-based prosecutor involved in the case told Channel 10 that the victim was killed after suffering multiple blows to the head. So far, police have not determined a motive, he added; they are waiting for a DNA test to be completed to identify the victim and to find out why he was staying in - or living in – Berlin.
Police said they have opened a murder investigation into the case in which the victim was found in the ruins of the 14th century Church of the Franciscan Monastery, which was destroyed during World War II. They have called for any witnesses to come forward.