Friend of Israeli killed in Peru accident: 'I saw the fall, I didn't think it was Max'
While making his way back to Israel to attend Max Selah's funeral, his friend Matan says zip line accident was probably result of miscommunication: 'The guide said ciao and Max thought he told him to jump'.
Matan Ben-Shimon, whose friend Max Selah was killed in a zip line accident in Peru, recounted the deadly accident on Friday.
"We went on a trip to the major attractions in Machu Picchu," Matan said. "On the first day, we went on a bike trip. On the second day we went went zip lining in the Machu Picchu area and on the third day we were supposed to come back to Cusco."
"We got to day two and started preparing for the zip line, and when we started - everything was okay," Matan went on to say.
Matan, who met 24-year-old Max during their army service, added: "I was a bit scared, but not hysterical. Nothing dramatic. I told the rest of the backpackers we should continue going down, that they should bring ladders, and that someone fell and we needed to call for help."
The zip lines go over several mountains around Machu Picchu, as well as a river.
"I wanted to try to help at first, but (the zip line operators) wouldn't let us do anything at that moment. We went down and immediately told the rescue team that someone fell and we have to help him," Matan said.
"Because of the river, they had to get there using a zip line. They sent a gurney up to the platform using cables and only45 minutes after the fall I recognized Max tied to the gurney. He was already unconscious and we were in complete shock," Matan said.
At first, it was believed overcrowding of backpackers on the 100-meter-high platform was what led to Max's fall, but backpackers who were on the platform with him said it was probably the result of miscommunication between Max and the zip line guide that led to the deadly accident.
"They told us that the guide told Max the word 'ciao', and Max probably thought he told him to jump," Matan said. "It turned out Max wasn't tied and the guide apparently (the guide) meant to tell him he needs to tie him up. Before the fall, there were ten people on the platform, but during the fall there were only three."
Dotan, Max's big brother, said Thursday that "Max was like one giant heart always thinking how to give more of himself to others - his friends, his soldiers and his family."
