New Details Emerge in Rappelling Tragedy That Killed 16-Year-Old Yonatan Klimian

New details have emerged about the tragedy that occurred yesterday, Shabbat, at Keshet Cave, in which 16-year-old Yonatan Ephraim Klimian, z"l, was killed after falling from a great height while rappelling. According to information provided by the family, shortly before his fall, Yonatan helped his sister descend safely. Later, he identified a problem during his own descent, returned to the top to fix it—and only then began rappelling again.

Yonatan, z"l, a yeshiva student and a counselor in the Bnei Akiva youth movement, grew up in a family of six children that regularly went on outings together. The family, who loved hiking and adventure activities, had even completed rappelling courses. Yesterday, they set out together for a trip in the Keshet Cave area, where the tragedy took place.

According to the new details provided by the family, Yonatan first helped his sister during the descent. He held the rope and lowered her safely, and then it was his turn to descend. During his descent, he noticed some kind of malfunction, so he climbed back to the top of the cliff and adjusted the equipment.

After addressing the problem, Yonatan began descending again. But then a serious malfunction occurred, the circumstances of which are still unclear. The teenager fell from a great height. According to initial assessments, it is possible that the rope snapped during the descent, but at this stage it is still unknown exactly what happened at the scene and what led to the fall.

Yonatan's parents, who remained at the top of the cliff, quickly understood that a disaster had occurred. They sent a message to relatives and asked them to recite chapters of Tehillim. For a long time, family members were unable to contact them, until they eventually spoke with the father, who had already made his way down and was beside his son.

Meanwhile, rescue teams called to the scene had to contend with difficult terrain to reach Yonatan. MDA paramedics Mimon Gabai and Ligal Dror described the rescue operation and their treatment of the teenager: "We received a report about a teenager who had fallen from a great height, apparently while rappelling. We descended to the scene by rappelling and saw the teenager unconscious, with no pulse and not breathing, and with severe injuries to his body. We provided advanced medical treatment, including resuscitation efforts, but tragically, all we could do was pronounce his death."