Body of man missing since crane collapse washes up on Ashdod shore

The body of a man was found Wednesday on a beach in the southern coastal city of Ashdod, a day after he went missing along with one other person when a crane collapsed into the sea.

Naftali Edri, 66, was a retired Israel Electric Corporation worker. He reportedly had been given special permission to bring his car into an IEC area and then fish from the pier where the crane was located.

Magen David Adom paramedics who were called to the scene found him with no vital signs and declared him dead.

The IEC offered its condolences to the Edri family.

A police statement Tuesday said the crane collapsed due to strong winds at the Rutenberg power station on the coast near Ashkelon. The crane operator is still missing.

Ashdod is about ten kilometers (six miles) further north along the coast from Ashkelon.

The crane had been located on a pier and fallen into the water.

Rescuers were dispatched to the scene during the pre-dawn hours after two men were thought to have been lost offshore.

A view of a crane that collapsed in the sea near Ashkelon, March 14, 2023. (Flash90)

One of the men was found shortly after with light injuries, but as daylight broke, police said a fisherman who had been in the area was also feared lost in the incident, bringing the toll back up to two.

Police, including marine units, along with navy forces, divers, and medical first responders, were assisting in the rescue effort and the Israel Electric Corporation set up an investigation.

The search for the man who is still missing continued Wednesday.