Israeli hiker killed in Peru zip-lining accident identified

An Israeli hiker killed in a zip-line accident in Peru Wednesday was identified on Thursday morning as Max Sela, 24, of the central Israeli town of Shoham.

Sela reportedly plunged to his death off a zip-line platform in the Machu Picchu region. His family was notified and the Foreign Ministry confirmed the details of the accident. His body is expected to be transferred to Israel on Sunday.

According to Hebrew media reports, the platform was suspended 80 meters (260 feet) above the ground.

Sela was just recently released from his military service. He went to South America with two close friends, a typical post-army experience for young Israelis.

“He was a charming person, always smiling,” said a friend of the family. “He always looked for the good in everything.”

According to Channel 2, the three arrived in the city of Cusco in Peru after a long tour of the continent. They left for the Cola de Mono zip-lining site, a leading tourist attraction in the area.

Sela was climbing the ramp when the structure collapsed. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Israeli Embassy in Peru is coordinating the transfer of Sela’s remains to Israel. The process is slightly delayed because Peruvian police are still investigating the accident. Sela’s two travel companions are expected to remain in Peru to give their accounts of the incident to local police.

On Wednesday, a 12-year-old Israeli girl was killed in a Thailand ferry fire while celebrating her bat mitzvah on a family vacation. Meanwhile, Israel’s Embassy to Germany said that a man beaten to death in Berlin over the weekend was an Israeli citizen.