Body of Israeli father who died saving his son from drowning recovered in Thailand
Israeli rescue teams and Thai authorities recover body of father who vanished after saving son from strong currents
An Israeli father who disappeared while battling fierce waves off the Thai island of Koh Phangan has been found dead, bringing a heartbreaking end to a round-the-clock search involving Thai authorities and dozens of Israeli volunteers.
Thai rescue teams located the body of 45-year-old Sagie Mor, a father of four from the northern Israeli community of Kela Alon, on Thursday morning. He vanished the previous afternoon at Chaloklum Beach after leaping into stormy waters to rescue his young son from powerful currents.
Witnesses told local media that Mor succeeded in pushing his son close enough to shore for nearby restaurant staff to pull the boy to safety. But on his attempt to swim back, he was swept away again by dangerous undertows. His wife and children, standing on the beach, heard him shout that he would try to reach nearby rocks before a large wave crashed over him.
In a statement, his wife Inbal Mor said: “I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the good people who tried to save Sagie. Hundreds of volunteers searched all night – the Magen team, Clal Insurance, the Chabad House and the Foreign Ministry. We are now gathering as a family to cope with the terrible news.”
The search effort was complicated by severe weather that grounded drones, slowed boat deployment and repeatedly forced teams off the water. Thai police deployed jet skis, patrol boats and helicopters, while Israeli backpackers, local residents and members of Koh Phangan’s Chabad House organised beach patrols and private watercraft searches. An improvised command centre was set up by the island’s Israeli community to coordinate with the embassy in Bangkok and Thai authorities.
More than 160 volunteers scoured the coastline through the night, although high waves repeatedly halted operations. A specialist team from Israel’s Magen Search and Rescue also flew in to assist, joined by several of Mor’s relatives.
Search teams resumed at first light and located Mor’s body on Thursday morning.
In a statement, Israel’s Foreign Ministry said it remains in contact with the family and is assisting with arrangements in Thailand.
Mor’s death has shaken the large Israeli backpacker community on Koh Phangan. Many had joined the desperate overnight search, hoping to bring him home alive.
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