Ofer Mizrahi's friends say he 'definitely' died in NZ quake

Israeli backpacker's friends return to Israel after surviving quake, say Mizrahi no longer alive after boulder smashed into car he was in.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
New Zealand earthquake 5 GALLERY 465 (photo credit: AP Photo/New Zealand Herald, Mark Mitchell)
New Zealand earthquake 5 GALLERY 465
(photo credit: AP Photo/New Zealand Herald, Mark Mitchell)
Friends of Ofer Mizrahi, the Israeli backpacker who was reportedly killed after an earthquake struck Christchurch, New Zealand earlier this week, said at a press conference Thursday morning that Mizrahi "definitely" died in the incident.
One of his friends, Guy Jordan, said that if there was any doubt about Mizrahi's fate, then he wanted everyone to know "with certainty" that the backpacker was no longer alive.
RELATED:NZ quake death toll at 98; 120 bodies stuck under rubble
Mizrahi's friends spoke following an emotional meeting with their families after having survived the quake and upon arriving back in Israel Thursday.
The backpacker's friends, who were traveling with him, had earlier informed his parents that he was killed when a boulder smashed into a car he was traveling in.
No official confirmation of Mizrahi's death has been released.
In related news, Christchurch mayor Bob Parker said that he doesn't believe that there are survivors still trapped underneath the CTV building, which collapsed in the city center during the quake, Army Radio reported Thursday.
He added that the decision to stop rescue efforts in Christchurch following the 6.3-magnitude earthquake, that claimed the lives of at least 98 and has left 226 still missing, was only temporary.