An Israeli citizen was rescued after spending 24 hours trapped on a mountainside in Wadi Rum in Jordan on Saturday.

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The Israeli was leading a tour group of 18 Israelis, who were half a kilometer south west of the summit of Jebel Rum. The guide tripped and injured his head and his hip, rendering him immobile.

Insurance company Passport Card, through which the guide is insured, was notified about the injury and immediately contacted the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Due to the sensitivity of the issue, the Foreign Ministry took charge. Sharona Sidis of the Department for Israelis Abroad, and the Israeli Consulate General in Jordan, Oded Anavim, led the coordination efforts with the Jordanian authorities.

Rescue helicopter (Photo: Judea and Samaria Division Search and Rescue Team)

Due to the sun setting quickly and the remoteness of the location, Jordanian rescue forces were unable to reach the area by car, so the Foreign Ministry requested that a Jordanian Military helicopter be dispatched to the scene on Friday night. However, the helicopter was unable to land, so it returned to its base.

The Jordanian rescue team then asked the tour group to move the injured guide further up the mountain so that the helicopter could reach them, but they couldn’t do it, and the plan was scrapped. The group decided to stay the night in the desert with the guide until sunrise.

The helicopter finally managed to arrive and rescue the guide on Saturday morning, and evacuated him to the Rabin border crossing located between Aqaba and Eilat. There, an ambulance was waiting for the guide and took him to Yoseftal Medical Center in Eilat.