Hotel room found empty: New details from the search for the Israelis in Vienna
Contact with Meli and Liel Yaalomi, a mother and daughter who were traveling in Vienna and Prague, has been lost since Friday. The two were supposed to return to Israel yesterday at the end of their trip, but they did not arrive for their flight. The search for them continues, and N12 has learned that a search was also conducted at the apartment hotel where they were staying. "The mind thinks of every scenario, we are prepared for any news," said the brother and son who flew to search for his family members.
The search for Meli and Liel Yaalomi, with whom contact has been lost since Friday, continues today. The two were supposed to return to Israel yesterday at the end of their trip to Prague, but they did not arrive for their flight. N12 has learned that a search was also conducted at the apartment hotel where they were staying, but no information was found that would lead to their discovery. The rooms where Meli and Liel were staying were found empty — without their personal belongings. "The mind thinks of every scenario, we are prepared for any news," said the brother and son who flew to search for them.
The extensive search continues this morning (Wednesday) for Meli and Liel Yaalomi, a mother and daughter who have been defined as missing in Vienna, the capital of Austria, since Friday.
Even at this moment, all attempts to locate them have been unsuccessful — and there is no lead that could lead to their discovery. The two Israelis were supposed to return to Israel at the end of their trip from Prague yesterday, but they did not arrive for their flight.
N12 has learned that a search was also conducted at the apartment hotel where they were staying, and their relatives said that even there they could not find information that would lead to their discovery. In addition, the rooms where the two were staying were found empty — without their personal belongings.
The Israeli embassy in Vienna published an official statement yesterday requesting the public's assistance in locating them. The 50-year-old mother and her 23-year-old daughter were last seen in the Austrian capital last Friday, but contact with them has been lost since then.
The two planned their trip in advance, arriving in Vienna by train from Prague and staying in an apartment hotel in the city. "They started in Prague and then moved to Vienna and it was planned," said Elinor, Meli's sister. "They bought a train ticket in advance."
The family explained that the two observe the Sabbath, so the lack of contact during the Sabbath did not cause concern at first. "The Sabbath ends late, so we didn't write," said Elinor. "We said okay, and then on Sunday at nine-thirty in the morning I texted and there is one tick on WhatsApp, until today." However, it is now known that the two also did not arrive for the Sabbath meal and did not pick up the kosher food they ordered.
Elinor emphasized that the disappearance does not match their normal routine of contact. "The exception is that they didn't make contact," she noted. "I talk to my sister, I talked to her on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. These are the things. It's not, 'Okay, I'll text you that I arrived and bye.' They sent pictures on Wednesday, corresponded with me privately on Thursday and pictures on Friday."
The brother and son of the two, Ronen, who boarded a flight to Vienna this morning with the goal of locating his family members, told the morning news about the feelings. "This is our last resort to be present and meet physically with whoever is needed," he said minutes before taking off. "The mind thinks of every scenario, we are prepared for any news," added Ronen.
On Sunday evening, after no response was received, the family opened a call at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' situation room. Elinor tried to contact the apartment hotel where the two were staying, but could only reach the security personnel who could not help. Starting Monday morning, the Israeli consul entered the picture and began coordinating search operations.
The consul contacted the hotel management and the local Chabad house in an attempt to obtain information. "I am in direct contact with the consul with constant updates," said Elinor. As of now, there is no lead that would lead to their discovery, and the two did not report on Friday any suspicion or unusual incident they saw.
The family members looked yesterday towards the airport in Prague, hoping that the two would show up there for their planned flight to Israel — but this, as mentioned, did not happen.
The authorities call on anyone who has relevant details to contact the family members immediately, the local police in Austria, or directly through the emergency line of the Israeli embassy in Vienna, whose number is +43-676-3672304.
