Noam Rubenstein
Israeli traveler freezes to death in Chile
22-year-old Israeli freezes to death in Cerro Castillo, Chile after ankle wounds leaves her stranded. 'We tried to finds signs of life, but there were none. Death from hypothermia had already taken place a few hours earlier,' rescuer says
An Israeli
IDF
officer traveling in South America died after freezing to death in southern Chile.
Lieutenant Noam Rubenstein, 22, was in Chile for her post-army trip – a custom among Israeli youths – when she was wounded in a mountainous region in southern Chile.
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A friend who was traveling with her said that they tried to alert rescue services. Sadly, the rescue team failed to make it in time, and they were forced to declare Rubenstein dead.
Noam Rubenstein
The IDF said that her family has been informed, and the Foreign Minister said: "We are currently working to bring her body to Israel. The Chilean authorities are assisting us and have cooperated in search efforts."
An initial investigation by Chilean police revealed that Rubenstein sustained an ankle injury while hiking in the Cerro Castillo National Reserve in Chile's Patagonia region, Jewish News One reported.
According to the report, Rubenstein was with another Israeli who left to get help after the injury.
Sadly Rubenstein died of hypothermia before rescuer forces were able to reach her and her body was recovered from the mountain with the aid of a horse.
Jorje Gaurdio, head of the local rescue team, said that "when we arrived at the scene we saw a women lying on the ground, and immediately we understood that something is wrong. We tried to finds signs of life, but there were none. Death from hypothermia had already taken place a few hours earlier.
Cerro Castillo is home to one of Chile's highest mountains.
Attila Somfalvi contributed to this report
