Peru: Israeli dies in tragic accident

Hospital in Lima battles to save life of 26-year-old Yosef Hallel Yisraeli after he falls down stairs, hits head, but he is pronounced dead hours later. His body will be flown back to Israel on Monday

Ronen Medzini|Published: 09.25.11 , 23:17

Yosef Hallel Yisraeli, 26, died on Saturday in Lima, the capital of Peru, when he fell down the stairs and hit his head, the Foreign Ministry said Sunday.

Yisraeli was rushed to a local hospital after his fall, where doctors battled to save his life for several hours, but he was pronounced dead on Saturday night Israel time.

The rabbi of the Jewish community in Lima contacted Yisraeli's family in Israel, and the Foreign Ministry and Israeli Embassy personnel have taken responsibility for transferring the body back to Israel on Monday.

A relative of Yisraeli's told Ynet that "he was a person who just loved life and loved to travel. He had already been abroad several times before he left for Peru a few months back to work and travel. The family has taken the news very hard; of course it's sad even more so on the eve of the Rosh Hashanah holiday."

Just over a year ago another Israeli, Doron Lugasi,39, was killed in Peru during a parachute competition. He was critically wounded when a strong wind threw him to the ground; he died of his wounds in the hospital.