Search efforts for Omri Kidron, a 23-year old from Hod Hasharon who went missing in China's Yunnan Province, have intensified. Kidron fell from a cliff into a river during a trek through one of the province's mountains and has not been seen since.
The Foreign Ministry has sent an employee of China's Israeli Embassy to the area, and a search and rescue mission has been launched by Harel Insurance Company.
Kidron (on right) and friend. (Photo: Reproduction, Ido Erez)
Kidron was reported missing in the large south-western Chinese province on Saturday. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Arye Mekel stated that the youth's current condition is unknown, and that his family had been informed on the details of the mission.
The ministry also stated that the Chinese Embassy in Israel would remain open on Saturday and Sunday in order to grant special visas to members of the rescue mission, which includes Kidron's father.
Commander of the mission Yohai Lilior told Ynet that "three members of the delegation left together with Omri's father and some of his friends. We will also meet people who know the river and the area well over there."
Lilior also remarked that the river into which Kidron fell is "an extremely dangerous river that it would be a very bad idea to fall into. There are a number of cascades in the area. It is currently a time of defrosting for the river, and there is a lot of very cold water in it. That's why it is very dangerous.
"Tibetan pilgrims tend to go up there, and it is a widely toured area. Six months ago an elderly woman went missing there, and she was later found. I sincerely hope everything will be ok, and we are going there to make every effort to find him."
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