On Tuesday afternoon, while the man in his 50s was on a group kayaking trip on the River Durance in Briancon, southeast France, onlookers noticed several of them in discomfort, according to local media.
Hautes-Alpes regional police stated on X, “A rescue operation is under way in the town of Briancon to try to help kayakers in difficulty in the Durance.”
According to Le Dauphine Libere, at least three persons were saw struggling in the water.
The French daily regional newspaper reported that the third person had overturned and was unconscious, and that the other two were struggling against the powerful current of the river to save him.
While firefighters rescued the third kayaker, a British national, many kilometers downstream, paramedics were unable to revive him despite their best attempts. Two of the kayakers were retrieved from the river unharmed.
It is said that he was an accomplished kayaker who encountered difficulties after ten minutes on the water.
According to public prosecutor Marion Lozac’hmeur, “I can confirm the death of a man of English nationality,” Le Dauphine Libere reported.
The accident’s cause is being looked into. La Provence claims that the high water level brought on by the melting of snow may have contributed.
