Noam Rubinstein, 22, succumbs to hypothermia after ankle injury leaves her stranded in remote South American mountain range.
By JPOST.COM STAFF
IDF Lieutenant Noam Rubinstein, 22, died on Thursday while traveling in Cerro Castillo in southern Chile.Rubinstein, traveling with another Israeli tourist, injured her ankle in the remote mountain range.The accompanying friend left to get help, but a rescue team arrived just hours after Rubinstein succumbed to hypothermia."When we arrived at the scene we saw a woman lying on the ground, and immediately we understood that something was wrong. We tried to finds signs of life, but there were none," Jorje Gaurdio, head of the local rescue team, told local media.Rubinstein had been backpacking in South America after finishing her regular military service.She was planning on returning to Israel for permanent service as an IDF officer.The IDF said that the family has been notified and is working in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry to repatriate her body.Rubinstein was from Misgav in northern Israel, and is survived by her parents and two brothers.