Body of Israeli fighter found in Laos
Avner Bardugo, member of IDF's rescue and extrication unit, went missing Friday after his canoe flipped in Mekong River
He was located and identified following information received from a fisherman in the area.
The Bardugo family members, who have been monitoring the efforts to locate their loved one from Israel, asked to thank all those who helped raise funds for the rescue force.
"Apart from the fact that the body was found, we have no further information at the moment," one of the family members told Ynet. "We are still trying to find out how to bring the body to Israel. The family is distraught."
A Foreign Ministry official confirmed that the body had been located and identified by Bardugo's friends. and that the arrangements to bring the body back to Israel were being handled by the ministry.
Photo: Einar Barzilay
Over the weekend, Bardugo's boat hit a rock and flipped. Avner and the friend he was travelling with in Southeast Asia both fell into the water. The friend managed to pull himself out of the river and contacted Bardugo's family.Rama Bardugo, Avner's mother, told Ynet earlier this week, "He is the best person in the world, an amazing student, everyone's friend, a real leader and a real survivor."
She said her son "would always receive compliments in school, in the army, everywhere. He would always pick up hitchhikers on the street, regardless of who they were. He said he would never leave a person on the road."
Ever since his father died nine years ago, Avner took it upon himself to raise his younger siblings. "His father died when he was 16," the mother said. "He raised his four brothers like a father, he was their guide. He is simply a jewel."
Two rescue missions left Israel to search for Avner in Laos, including his friends from 669, the Israel Defense Forces' rescue and extrication unit, in which he served as company commander.
One of his friends, Alex, said that "he educated generations of rescuers, was always first to volunteer for every mission, always on the lead. He would do everything both for us and for those rescued… he risked his life for others."
Yael Levy contributed to this report
