Body of Israeli mountaineer recovered in Indonesia, 3 days after fatal fall

Rescue teams on Monday recovered the body of an Israeli man who fell to his death while mountain climbing in Indonesia three days ago, a rescue team said.

The victim was identified as Boaz Ben-Anan, a 37-year-old from Tel Aviv, who had apparently entered Indonesia on a Portuguese passport.

His body was due to be returned to Israel for burial, in a move complicated by the fact that Israel and Indonesia do not have diplomatic relations.

Local rescuers were assisted by Magnus, an Israeli rescue organization.

“The rescue efforts were carried out while dealing with difficult, mountainous terrain and extreme weather conditions,” Magnus said.

“After three intense days in which special teams worked at altitude and in complex terrain, his body was recovered and will be moved to Israel for burial,” the statement said.

Ben-Anan died after falling while climbing Mt. Rinjani, an active volcano. Local officials said he reached a height of some 3,760 meters (12335 feet) when he apparently fell into a 150-meter-deep crevice.

אחרי 3 ימים: חולצה גופתו של המטייל הישראלי בועז בר ענן, שנהרג בטיפוס על הר באינדונזיה. מאמצי החילוץ בוצעו בתוואי שטח קשה, הררי ובתנאי מזג אוויר קיצוניים. גופתו תועבר לקבורה בארץ@SivanSisay pic.twitter.com/qbPq2fz6U4

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The Foreign Ministry said over the weekend that Israel’s envoy in Singapore was following efforts to retrieve the body, as Israel does not have diplomatic relations with Muslim-majority Indonesia.