Israeli hiker killed in Nepal quake laid to rest
‘Death took hold of you as you walked along happily,’ Or Asraf’s father says at his graveside
Tamar Pileggi is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.
Or Asraf, the Israeli backpacker killed in the earthquake in Nepal last month, was laid to rest in his hometown of Lehavim in the Negev Wednesday afternoon.
Thousands attended the funeral of the only Israeli casualty of the massive earthquake that devastated the Himalayan nation and killed more than 7,600.
“You’re probably in heaven now hugging Yuvi and Yifrach (Yuval Dagan and Tal Yifrach were soldiers in Or’s IDF unit who were killed in last year’s war in Gaza), so no matter what — you’ll never be alone,” one soldier from Asraf’s elite Egoz unit said at the funeral, according to Ynet.
Asraf, who was injured in the war, was hiking in the Langtang area north of the capital, Kathmandu, when the quake struck.
Members of the relief team that recovered Asraf’s remains on Sunday included nine of his comrades from Egoz. They carried his body across dangerous terrain, hit hard by the earthquake, to the nearest village on Sunday night.
“The journey’s over, you’re finally home, but how do you fold up 22 years of life into a coffin?” Asraf’s father, Patrick, said in his eulogy.
He recalled Asraf’s wanderlust and excitement as he set off on his trek across Nepal. “Death took hold of you as you walked along happily,” he said, lamenting that his son’s body was discovered less than 100 meters from safe terrain.
“Thank you for building pillow forts with me, for waking me up at 6 a.m. on Saturdays, for watching out for me from afar and for driving our parents crazy when I had a boyfriend,” his sister Ella eulogized. “Watch over me, my angel.”
A team from the ZAKA emergency response group arrived in Nepal last week in a joint task force, along with Israeli rescue organizations United Hatzalah and F.I.R.S.T., to assist in the rescue efforts and attempt to locate Asraf, the only Israeli citizen who had not made contact since the massive quake.
Asraf’s body was located on a trekking route in the Langtang region, according to Eli Beer, president of United Hatzalah. Beer said the team had combated rough terrain and mudslides while heavy rain and hail poured down in their efforts to locate the body.
Nitay Reysh, a member of the rescue team that located the body, said two helicopters had headed back toward the region Saturday morning to redouble search efforts, carrying Or’s army comrades.
“His friends identified him. They were with him for three years and know every inch of his body,” Reysh told Ynet.
“We are incredibly saddened that our efforts ended in this way. In all the days of searching for Or, we had the hope of finding him alive and bringing him back to his family,” Beer stated. “Despite our efforts, when we found Or he was no longer alive. We take comfort in the fact that thanks to our volunteers’ efforts, Or will be buried in Israel.”
Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.
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