Newsroom
A family holiday in Cyprus ended in tragedy on Tuesday after a 34-year-old man from Jerusalem disappeared while swimming off the coast of Limassol and was later found dead, according to Israeli media.
The man had gone swimming with members of his family when he disappeared beneath the water under circumstances that remain unclear.
His relatives quickly began searching for him, combing both the sea and the shoreline for around two hours.
The search eventually took an unusual turn when a motorized paraglider operator flying over the area reportedly spotted the man floating in the water and raised the alarm.
Emergency services rushed to the location and recovered the 34-year-old from the sea. Despite their efforts, he could not be saved and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Israeli emergency response organization ZAKA said it is working with Israel's Foreign Ministry and Cypriot authorities to assist the man's family and arrange for his body to be returned to Israel for burial.
ZAKA deputy operations director Chaim Weingarten described the death as a "catastrophic tragedy" and said efforts were underway to complete the repatriation process as quickly as possible.
The circumstances surrounding the man's death have not yet been clarified.
