IDF soldier dies during recreation event at water park

Serviceman suddenly loses consciousness, cause of collapse unclear; military police launch investigation

Judah Ari Gross is The Times of Israel's religions and Diaspora affairs correspondent.

Illustrative photo of volunteer paramedics with United Hatzolah (photo credit: Nati Shohat/Flash90)
Illustrative photo of volunteer paramedics with United Hatzolah (photo credit: Nati Shohat/Flash90)

An IDF soldier died after he collapsed during a trip to a water park with his unit, the army said.

Corporal Michael Pesach, 21, from Migdal Haemek, was on a trip to the Yamit 2000 water park in the Tel Aviv suburb of Holon when he suddenly lost consciousness.

Medical teams from the United Hatzolah emergency response service performed CPR and used a defibrillator on Pesach at the scene, before taking him to the nearby Wolfson Medical Center for treatment, the organization said.

He arrived at the hospital in critical condition and was pronounced dead a short while later, the army said.

Pesach, who served in the air force, was promoted to the rank of sargent posthumously. He is to be buried in his home town on Monday.

The circumstances for his collapse and death were not immediately known, though media reports said he had complained of chest pains before he collapsed. The IDF Military Police launched an investigation into the incident, the army said.

Pesach’s family was notified of his death, the army added.

 

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