The body of a man was found on a beach in the southern coastal city of Ashdod on Wednesday after he went missing along with another man when a crane fell into the sea.
Naftali Edri, 66, was a retired Israel Electric Corporation employee. He was reportedly given special permission to bring his car into the IEC area and then fish from the jetty where the crane was located.
Magen David Adom paramedics who were called to the scene found him to have no vital signs and pronounced him dead.
IEC extends its condolences to the Adri family.
Police said in a statement on Tuesday that strong winds toppled the crane at the Rutenberg power station on the coast near Ashkelon. The crane operator is still missing.
Ashdod is about ten kilometers (six miles) further north along the coast from Ashkelon.
The crane was located on a pier and fell overboard.
Rescue crews were dispatched to the scene during the pre-dawn hours after two people were thought to be lost offshore.
View of a crane that fell into the sea near Ashkelon on March 14, 2023. (Flash 90)
A man was found with minor injuries a short time later, but as daylight broke, police said a fisherman in the area was also feared missing in the incident, raising the death toll to two.
Police including marine units along with naval forces, divers, and medical first responders were assisting in the rescue effort and the Israel Electric Corporation established an investigation.
The search for the missing youth continued on Wednesday as well.
