Former IDF chief of staff Rafael Eitan drowns in Ashdod port

Former minister and ex-Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Rafael Eitan, 75, drowned Tuesday morning after falling into the water at Ashdod port. Magen David Adom paramedics at the scene attempted without success to resuscitate him. Eitan’s vehicle was found abandoned near the port’s docks. The circumstances of the drowning are unclear. Police believe Eitan fell from a breakwater into rough seas off the port and disappeared for a number of minutes before he was found and pulled from the water. Police forces and Israel Navy soldiers, aided by a helicopter, spotted Eitan in the water and extricated him with the help of a naval vessel. Transportation Minister Meir Sheetrit ordered the formation of a committee to investigate the circumstances of Eitan’s death. Eitan worked at the port as the director of a project conducted by the Ashtrom company. The construction of the new section of the Ashdod port is currently reaching completion and its official opening has been delayed a number of times over the past few months due to various reasons. BPI-info