The body of a 20-year-old U.S. man was recovered from a ravine in the Eilat mountains on Sunday by the IDF 669 search and rescue unit in an hours-long operation, according to Hebrew media.
Although it is not yet fully clear, police said it appears the man slipped while hiking the trail, plummeting down the rock face. His body was taken to the Abu Kabir Forensic Medicine Institute to confirm identification and to deepen the investigation into the circumstances of his death.
The search for the hiker, who was not identified to media, began Saturday night when he did not return from his hike on Mount Shlomo, described on the Negev Trails website as “one of the most difficult yet rewarding trails in Israel,” – an 11 kilometer (seven mile) hike of about six to seven hours’ duration.)
The family has been notified about the tragedy, police said.