A 74-year-old traveler heading to Greece narrowly survived a medical emergency at Ben Gurion Airport after collapsing in the duty-free section and suffering cardiac arrest, with two El Al employees rushing to his aid and reviving him before paramedics arrived.

The two workers, both volunteer emergency responders with Magen David Adom, received an alert through MDA’s emergency responder application and reached the scene within moments. Finding the man unconscious and without a pulse, they immediately began CPR.

As the resuscitation efforts got underway, they instructed a nearby passenger to retrieve a defibrillator from the airport’s public area. Within a matter of minutes, the device was used to administer two electric shocks, successfully restoring the man’s heartbeat.

An MDA intensive care ambulance crew arrived shortly afterward, continued advanced medical treatment at the scene, and transported the man to Sheba Medical Center in stable condition.

The responders, emergency medical technicians Efraim Friedman of Petah Tikva and Yosef Zaks of Modi’in Illit, described the dramatic rescue.

“We were standing near the elevator when suddenly we received an alert through the MDA responder app about an unconscious man. We went up one floor in the elevator and ran quickly to the scene. We performed resuscitation efforts, and within a short time his heart started beating again.”

They added: “He gradually regained consciousness and did not understand what had happened around him. We explained that we were taking him to the hospital, and he said he couldn’t because he was on his way to a flight. After we explained his medical condition, we evacuated him to the hospital in stable condition. It’s an emotional event – being in the right place at the right time – and thanks to the defibrillator placed in the public area at Ben Gurion Airport, we were able to save his life.”