It was a dramatic accident which cost the life of a Gapençais. This Saturday, May 4 afternoon, a 22-year-old young man lost his life by drowning in the Méouge gorges, in the town of Val-Buëch-Méouge, in the Hautes-Alpes. Taken out of the water by his friends, he was already in cardio-respiratory arrest.
The firefighters of the Departmental Fire and Rescue Service (Sdis), alerted around 4:15 p.m., were only able to note the death by drowning on site, with the Smur (Mobile Emergency and Resuscitation Structure) of Sisteron, also present. The accident took place at the waterfall, a few dozen meters from the Roman bridge. “He was there with friends, without causing any trouble, witnesses reported., says the mayor of the town, Gérard Nicolas. “Obviously, he simply wanted to recover a flip-flop that he had lost in the waterspecifies the elected official. He got into the water and must have been caught by the current. When his friends managed to get him back, it was already too late…“
Freezing water
The unfortunate man may have been caught by a whirlpool, due to the proximity of the waterfall, and stuck underwater. The freezing temperature of this mountain water may also have played a role in this tragedy…”He was in a T-shirt and shorts, the temperature once in the water may have hit him“, adds Gérard Nicolas.
“There had not been an accident in this sector for 3 or 4 years.“, recalls the mayor. “A teenager from Grenoble, who was swimming, once found himself stuck in branchesrecalls Gérard Nicolas. But thanks to the presence of a lifeguard, he managed to escape.”
This Saturday, the unfortunate Gapençais was not so lucky.
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