Army helicopter rescues man injured in minefield; footage shows him falling to his death from stretcher.
By JPOST.COM STAFFchopper accident 248.88(photo credit: Channel 1)
A resident of Wadi Ara was killed Wednesday evening in a failed rescue attempt that ended in tragedy when cables that secured him to a military helicopter unwound and he fell to the ground from a great height ().
The man went for a picnic in a field near Beit She'an, which was an old minefield from the period of Israeli-Jordanian hostility.
He was injured when a mine exploded under his leg, and lay bleeding for an hour and a half while rescue services were unable to reach him due to the surrounding mines.
A military helicopter eventually evacuated the injured man, but the cables with which he was tied to the aircraft became undone for unknown reasons and he fell several dozen meters.
Rescue forces attempted to resuscitate the man, but pronounced him dead en route to the hospital.
The victim had come for a picnic with two other friends, who both managed to escape the minefield unharmed. They had entered the field despite clear signs warning that mines were planted in the area.
The commander of the IAF, Maj. Gen. Ido Nehushtan, ordered the establishment of a commission of inquiry later Wednesday evening.
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