Israelis wounded in Nepal mourn fellow trekker killed in storm
Some 1,000 people, including hikers injured in blizzard, attend funeral of Nadav Shoham: 'He could have saved himself, but he would not abandon his friends.'
Nadav Shoham, who was killed in last week's snowstorms that hit the upper section of the Annapurna trekking circuit in northern Nepal, was laid to rest on Sunday in his home community of Hoshaya in the Galilee.
"Nadav's kindheartedness cost him his life. He could have saved himself, had he trekked down the mountain at his own pace and time, but his good nature prevented him from leaving his friends to their fates. As a result, most of them survived, and he gave his life to save them," Chaim Burgansky, the rabbi of Hoshaya, said in a eulogy at the service.
More than a thousand people attended the funeral, including travelers who were injured in the disaster and have since returned to the country. Last week, Nadav's relatives described how he helped fellow trekkers during the storm in Annapurna, and how he helped carry Tamar Ariel, who was also killed in the blizzard.
Tovah, Nadav's mother, referred to her son's last days during the ceremony: "I came to realize that you're not just mine. Friends from various circles came, and with them, the stories. My dear Nadav, here is not the place for me to describe how much of a loved and loving son you are. You were always by my side at home as well. You cared for us all, and you were attentive to everyone. You always put others before yourself."
Nadav's brother, Avshalom, also mourned his tragic loss: "You are the most humble and good-hearted person I ever met. Your high morals and altruism were embedded in your blood and were an inseparable part of your character. Those characteristics do not change – not at home in Hoshaya, not in Jerusalem, not in New York and not in Nepal. Not at an altitude of 5,000 meters above sea level and not at a temperature of minus 20 degrees."
Meanwhile in Nepal, searches after missing Israeli Michal Gili Charkesky continued until nightfall. The rescue attempts will resume Monday morning. Nadav Kalifa, deputy head of the Harel 669 rescue unit, estimated that the teams will be able to locate Michal within the next several days, once the ice piled up from the latest storm thaws.
Earlier Sunday, Nepalese officials closed a section of the popular Himalayan trekking route Sunday after rescuers, overwhelmed with last week's snowstorms that killed at least 38 people, had to save new hikers who set out after the blizzards on the same deadly trails.
The dead from the blizzards and avalanches that hit the upper section of the Annapurna trekking circuit in northern Nepal included foreign trekkers, local guides and villagers. Most of the hundreds of trekkers who had been stuck in the snow have been brought to safety, and government official Yama Bahadur Chokhyal said rescue helicopters were winding down flights.
But as the weather cleared, new trekkers began making their way up the same trails, prompting the government to close the route, Chokhyal said. In some sections, the trails were completely hidden beneath the heavy snows.
"Our rescuers and helicopters ended up having to bring down these new people while we were still trying to reach the ones who were stranded by the blizzard," he said.
"It was burdening and confusing the rescuers," he said.
So far, 25 bodies have been identified. Eight of the dead were Nepalese, with others from Canada, India, Israel, Slovakia, Poland and Japan. Thirteen others have not yet been identified.
Associated Press contributed to this report.
