The hiker who was killed in Ecuador hiked alone and was left alone at the summit, estimate: his body will be flown to Israel next week

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is making efforts to release the body of Gil Banks, who was killed by falling into an abyss from a volcano in the Andes.

His body was recovered in a complex operation that lasted several hours, using special equipment.

The embassy worked around the clock to verify the initial report, which unfortunately turned out to be true

Yoav Itiel

08/18/2022

Thursday, August 18, 2022, 00:46 Updated: 08:07

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Adventurer, athlete and elite unit graduate.

Gil Banks on a trip to Ecuador, at the top of the Rocco Pichincha mountain (photo: screenshot, documentation on social networks according to Article 27 A of the Copyright Law)

In Ecuador, today (Thursday) the efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through the Embassy of Israel, to release the body of the 24-year-old traveler Gil Banks from Caesarea, who was killed in the mountains by falling into an abyss, continue.

It appears that following the efforts, the authorities in Quito, the capital, will give up their demand for an autopsy, but according to the estimate, the body will not be flown to Israel until the beginning of next week.

Gil Banks, an adventurer, athlete and graduate of an elite unit, spent the last few months traveling alone in South America.

According to what is known, for the last three weeks he lived in a hostel in Quito.

The city located in the north-central part of the country, and touching the eastern slopes of Mount Pichincha, an extinct volcano that is part of the Andes, attracts many travelers.

The authorities in Ecuador recommend that you follow the safety instructions and always keep up to date with them, take a guide, go in a group and be careful where necessary.

Also, the authorities recommend not to travel alone.

Banks connected with other travelers in the hostel, with locals and with the owner of the hostel, who became concerned when he did not return or make contact on Sunday evening.

The map of the area in the city of Quito where Gil Banks stayed and traveled (photo: screenshot, documentation on social networks according to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law)

The city itself is located at an altitude of about 2,850 meters.

There are those who find it difficult to breathe already at this height and need to acclimatize upon their arrival.

Travelers from all over the world come to the challenges in the surrounding mountains, which rise to a height of about 6,200 meters.

About a week ago, Banks made a successful trip to the peak of Rucu Pichincha (Rucu Pichincha) which rises at a height of about 4,696 meters and even took a picture at the top.

He intended to conquer this way one peak after another, and on Sunday he set out for the summit of El Padre Encantado, a few kilometers away.

This time too he climbed the mountain alone, and continued towards the top of the mountain.

The website cameras recorded it around 10:45.

According to the local police, around 12:00 he slipped and fell into an abyss of about 20-30 meters.

The police assume that he was killed on the spot without suffering.

Banks' friends in Quito, non-Israelis, including an American tourist, began to worry about him after he did not return to the hostel in the evening and did not make contact.

They informed the authorities about his absence and around 02:00 the authorities announced that he was missing and began organizing to prepare a team that would follow him up the mountain.

On Monday morning, the search began, during which, in the afternoon, he was located at the foot of a path between the two mentioned peaks, close to his destination at the peak of Pedra Encantado, which he did not reach.

More in Walla!

A 25-year-old Israeli was killed in a fall from a mountain in Ecuador

To the full article

The initial announcement about Banks' absence (photo: screenshot, documentation on social networks according to Section 27 A of the Copyright Law)

The terrain route in the area is complex, and the team requires special rescue equipment.

The rescue operations took about four hours.

His death was determined there and he was initially identified through the documents he carried with him.

The local police sent a message to Israel's ambassador Ze'ev Harel.

Towards 19:00 according to the local time, they began to take his body down from the mountain, and this journey also took about three hours.

At night, the body was brought to the Pathological Institute of Quito, where Consul Sagi Rabovski helped to definitively identify Banks.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs worked to inform the family in Israel.

The family of Gil Banks in Caesarea has been in continuous contact with the consul ever since.

The embassy team has been working since Monday afternoon, when it received an initial message on Twitter about a missing Israeli.

"The entire team mobilized immediately," says Consul Rabovski, who is in his second week in Ecuador.

He himself is a seasoned traveler in South America, and knows the intricacies.

"We started to try and collect more reports and try to verify the initial report," he said.

"It wasn't easy because the initial informant turned out to be someone who heard about the missing person from someone else, but didn't know from whom and we didn't have cross-referenced and real information. Nevertheless, the entire embassy staff in Quito worked here around the clock, including Ambassador Zeev Harel, and in front of us was the director of the Department for Israelis Abroad "To Anat Avitar and her team."

According to Rabovski, the authorities in Ecuador are very organized when it comes to rescuing travelers, and unfortunately are also very experienced in similar cases. don't come"

Accidents of this type are not uncommon in mountainous Ecuador, which attracts adventure sports enthusiasts from around the world.

The country's authorities reported that on Saturday, three hikers were killed and another 12 were injured in a fall of about 60 meters, when a rope they were holding on to came loose during a climb on another volcano in the country, about 100 km south of Quito

.

I lived in hostels," said the consul. "This is a tragedy, a terrible accident for an experienced traveler, and our hearts go out to the family.

We, with the help of community rabbi Nir Koren, are doing everything we can to help release the body of the deceased and fly it to Israel for burial as soon as possible."

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