The Israeli military on Wednesday named a soldier who died during a military tank exercise in northern Israel overnight.
The IDF Spokesperson's Unit said in a statement that Eitan Fichman was likely hit in the head by a breechblock inside the tank. Fichman was a resident of Be'er Sheva and his family has been notified, the military said.
According to the initial IDF inquiry, the soldier from the 7th Armored Brigade of the 82nd Armored Corps Battalion was found unconscious by his commander inside a tank during a live fire drill of his company.
The commander immediately alerted the medical forces, while one of the paramedics got inside the tank and noticed Fichman, a tank loader, with a head injury and a low pulse. Along with a doctor who arrived from a nearby base, they attempted to perform life saving procedures but soon had to pronounce his death.
The soldier was found with his head placed in a dangerous area of the tank between the turret and the hull, a spot that is forbidden to be in while the turret system is running.
The case is unusual and the circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear. The IDF is investigating a number of scenarios, including the possibility that the soldier experienced cardiac arrest, fainted, or dried out, although the exercise was performed at night in an air-conditioned tank.
After the incident, Ground Forces Command chief, Maj. Gen. Tamir Yadai ordered to suspend the exercise drill and perform an examination of all armored vehicles that took part in it.
Soon after the incident, the exercise plan was examined and at this stage, it appears that no failures were detected in the preparations for the drill.
In addition, the soldier's medical history will also be examined thoroughly. Pending to the approval of the family, autopsy will be performed on the soldier's body to determine what really happened in the tank and what was the cause of his death.