'Needle in a haystack.' Tomer Ahuan
Peru: Remains of missing Israeli identified
Tomer Ahuan went missing during boating accident in July; his body was found trapped under rocks two weeks ago but was positively identified Monday night. 'Everyone told me I was looking for a needle in a haystack,' his father says
The remains of 22-year-old Rishon Lezion resident Tomer Ahuan, who went missing in Peru in mid-July after he reportedly fell from his boat during a rafting expedition in the Apurimac River in Peru, has been identified.
Following an extensive search by an Israeli rescue team, the body was discovered two weeks ago trapped beneath rocks not far from where Ahuan went missing, but it was positively identified only late Monday night.
A friend who also fell in the water after the boat slammed into some rocks was rescued by friends, who pulled her into their boat.
Ilan Grodisky, who headed the search efforts along with a local volunteer, told Ynet that the rescue team, which was equipped with underwater cameras, had difficulties retrieving the body due to its problematic location and strong currents. He said the body was eventually retrieved with the help of Peruvian commandos and that Ahuan's family had been continually updated on the developments.
"The family has been through a very rough time," Grodisky said.
Tomer's father, who paid for the search out of his own pocket, said "everyone told me I was looking for a needle in a haystack; they told me to sit shiva (Jewish mourning period), to give up, but I said I would never give up until Tomer returned home."
