Three Israelis were killed in a light aircraft crash in the eastern United States, after the plane went down while traveling from New Jersey to Montgomery County, Maryland. The crash was reported to the international ZAKA hotline, 1220, and the wreckage was found after searches with the three victims inside, lifeless.
ZAKA said its U.S. commander, Yanki Landau, reached the site as soon as the report came in and oversaw the response. Volunteers from the charity organization Mitaskim, led by Meir Fried, the group’s New Jersey commander, worked at the scene for many hours together with local authorities.
Their work focused on treating the dead with dignity, collecting remains and evidence, and cleaning the crash site. Landau said, “Immediately after receiving the report we arrived at the scene and began joint activity together with volunteers from Mitaskim and the local authorities. במשך שעות ארוכות we worked with the dignity due to the deceased, collecting all the findings and handling the difficult scene.”
He also thanked Rabbi Matityahu Malnik, saying he supported the response from the start, helped coordinate with authorities and other agencies, and worked “with dedication and determination” to speed up the handling of the site and the release of the bodies while preserving respect for the dead and sensitivity toward the families. The plane was located early Sunday morning, and the crash occurred less than 20 miles east of Washington.
