Navy soldier’s tragic death appears to have happened after falling from moving train on which he jumped on to retrieve his forgotten backpack, on his way back to base.

Ilana Curiel

What was initially thought to be suicide now appears to be a tragic accident: Navy combat soldier Hanan Maman was killed falling from a moving train after forgetting his backpack in the train, an investigation into his death on Thursday suggests.

Soldier jumped on train to retrieve backpack

Police suspect the soldier documented the event on his cell phone, Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

According to the investigation, Maman, who was on his way to his base in Ashdod, forgot his backpack before getting off at the Ashdod railway station.

He ran back to the train but didn’t catch it before the doors closed. Instead of waiting on the platform, Maman decided to jump on the train.

The next stop – Ashkelon – was more than 10 km away. The train driver never noticed the soldier.

Shortly before pulling into the Ashkelon station, Maman apparently lost grip or tried to jump off the train and was killed by the fall. His body was found near the station.

Railway traffic between Ashdod and Ashkelon was temporarily halted Thursday following the tragic incident.

Maman’s cell phone was recovered from his person, Yedioth Ahronoth reported

Officers who checked the phone discovered the soldier had filmed himself while hanging off the train in a narrow space between the engine and the car. “It looked like a scene from an action movie,” said one investigator.

According to the police, the video showed the soldier talking to the camera, but the wind rendered the words unintelligible.

The IDF spokesperson’s Unit said the incident is being investigated.

View original Ynet publication at: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4398115,00.html