Posted on 07/22/2003 4:04:52 AM PDT by yonif
Three Israeli mountain climbers who went missing Monday night after being caught in an avalanche on Peru's northeastern Andes Mountains were reported dead by the Australian Courier-Mail newspaper Tuesday.
The three, on an 18-man expedition, were caught in the avalanche overnight Monday at 11 P.M. local time. According to local rescue services, the search for the eight was progressing slowly due to stormy weather conditions in the area.
An official from the Israeli embassy in Peru told the Jerusalem Post that rescue workers had contacted several members of the expedition.
According to the report, three Israeli, three German climbers as well as two Peruvian guides were killed in the avalanche. The German Federal Foreign Office confirmed that eight members of the expedition were killed in the avalanche.
The expedition was climbing the Alpamayo mountain (19,511 feet), located in the Callejon de Huaylas range, a popular mountaineering venue about 400km north-east of Lima.
Rescue teams were at the mountain range searching for the climbers.
They take some of the most exotic and extreme vacations I've ever heard of.
Most of my coworkers will take vacations in Italy or the Carribean, sometimes Hawaii.
But ask Etan where he went, he'll say: "I went to Haifa to visit family, then I spent a week in Namibia on a hunting safari."
Poor young guys. My heart goes out to their families.
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