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| Avi Cohen |
(Scroll down for video) The dead body of an Israeli backpacker was found Monday after being swept away by the currents while rafting in a river in Slovenia. A rescue team in Slovenia carried out the search and rescue operation.
A ship carrying four Israelis struck a rock in the river on Sunday afternoon. Three managed to swim to safety, while one of the rafters, Avi Cohen, was dragged upstream. Large police and military forces searched for Cohen for seven hours.
A relative of one of the passengers said the four had been in Slovenia on a work sponsored trip.
Cohen's brother said: "From what I understand, the boat overturned. Three of his friends were able to swim to shore, but my brother could not. A helicopter search was conducted, and the next morning we were informed that his body had been found.”
Zohar Aryeh, a senior Egged employee said: “The ship hit a rock. Cohen then helped two people get out of the water and tried to help a third person, but he was swept away." The employee also said that Cohen's wetsuit and helmet were found a few hours after the accident.
“This accident is very tragic as Cohen died while helping his colleagues get out of the water. He deserves lots of praise as instead of helping himself he helped others, and he paid for that with his life,” Ronni Goodman, 50, of Tel Aviv, Israel told YourJewishNews.com after learning about the death of Cohen.