Missing Israeli tourist found in Chile, brother says

Erez Szpakier, 24, reported lost April 18 while trekking in South America, is located alive and in good health

By Adiv Sterman 25 April 2013, 11:16 pm

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Adiv Sterman is a breaking news editor at The Times of Israel.

Erez Szpakier, who went missing in Chile's Puyehue National Park on April 18, has been 'located and is on his feet.' (photo credit: Shaul Szpakier/Facebook)

Shaul Szpakier, the brother of Erez Szpakier, an Israeli tourist who was reported missing in Chile since April 18, said Erez was “located and is on his feet.”

“We realized that he must have slipped or swerved off track,” Shaul Szpakier said on Facebook on Thursday. The brother added that his father, who is already in Chile, is making his way towards Erez’s location.

Erez Szpakier, 24, of Tel Aviv flew to South America for a post-army vacation and went backpacking with friends in Chile’s Puyehue National Park.

Szpakier was found by a helicopter belonging to an Israeli rescue team that was sent to Chile specifically in order to locate him, Ynet news reported.