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Man dies after colliding with wife on zipline on honeymoon in Honduras

The pair had gotten married the day before on a cruise ship

Mythili Sampathkumar
New York
Thursday 12 July 2018 12:07 BST
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The pair collided at high speed after Mr Tishman failed to realise his wife was stuck on the line
The pair collided at high speed after Mr Tishman failed to realise his wife was stuck on the line

An Israeli man died after colliding with his wife while the two were ziplining in Honduras on their honeymoon, according to local authorities.

Egael Tishman, 24, set off on his turn on the zipline tour organised by the cruise ship on which he and wife Shif Fanken, 27, had just got married. He did not realise Ms Fanken was stuck on the line about halfway down, forcing a collision at high speeds.

The couple suffered multiple injuries including broken ribs and Mr Tishman had complained of having difficulty breathing, Wilmer Guerrero, commander of the Roatan Fire Department, told the Washington Post.

Both were conscious on arrival at the local hospital where Mr Tishman died and Ms Fankel had emergency surgery. She was airlifted to a hospital in the US and remains in a stable condition.

Mr Guerrero did not know the exact cause of death as yet, but a local radio station, Honduras Radio America, reported the cause could have been brain haemorrhage.

It is unclear whether either Mr Tishman or Ms Fankel were wearing helmets at the time of the incident last week.

The newlyweds were visiting Roatan, part of Honduras' Bay Islands, as part of their Royal Caribbean International cruise trip, the company confirmed. The side excursion has 12 ziplines, 18 different platforms to view the surrounding landscapes, and four hiking trails. Some of the zip lines are as high as 300 feet. It is unclear which line the couple was gliding down.

Royal Caribbean said in a statement to The Independent: "Our Care Team is providing support and assistance to the guests’ family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with the couple, and we will continue to do our very best to assist them".

The company did not confirm if the couple signed a waiver, received any kind of safety training, or if the zip line staff are employees or just associated with the cruise line.

Police are still investigating how such an incident could have occurred when zipline staff were present on both sides and normally do not allow more than one person to glide down at once.

The Israeli Embassy in Guatemala has arranged for Mr Tishman's body to be flown back home for burial, the Israeli Foreign Ministry told the Times of Israel.

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