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Israeli college student falls to her death on hike in Ethiopian desert
President Reuven Rivlin asks his Ethiopian counterpart to return the body of Aya Na’amani, 21, and sends condolences to her family
An Israeli college student died in an Ethiopian desert after getting separated from the group she was hiking with.
Aya Na’amani, 21, of the northern Israeli town of Arraba was visiting Ethiopia with a delegation of students from the Technion Institute of Technology in Haifa.
She was designated as missing on Saturday when she failed to arrive at a meeting point during the hike. The Israeli embassy in Addis Ababa coordinated search efforts with Ethiopian authorities and with the Israeli search and rescue company Magnus.
Her body was found early Sunday in the Danakil Desert, and she is believed to have fallen to her death.
Temperatures in the desert rise to 120 degrees during the day.
Israel’s president, Reuven Rivlin, on Sunday asked Ethiopia’s President Sahle-Work Zewde to expedite the return Na’amani’s body to Israel for burial.
I have asked President @SahleWorkZewde of #Ethiopia for her help in expediting the return of Aya Na'amneh ז"ל to her family in #Israel for burial. Our thoughts are with Aya's family and with all those who loved her and are mourning her loss.
— Reuven Rivlin (@PresidentRuvi) August 18, 2019
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