It was a witness who raised the alarm around 2 p.m. this Sunday when he saw the couple of forty-year-olds in an inflatable canoe in difficulty on the Chassezac river, at the place called Le Puech in the commune of Chambonas. The victims were at that time on a small water reservoir.
The couple were then drawn into a rappel – a whirlpool that forms in the river and traps people there. Then, the victims are caught in a fall. When firefighters arrived, the couple had already died. The sappers even have to use a winch to remove the woman’s body some water.
Victims not yet identified
It’s a Dragon 38, an Isère civil security helicopter who came to support the Ardèche firefighters. Two ambulances, three pairs of aquatic lifeguardsa nurse, a group leader, as well as the Aubenas SAMU were mobilized to try to save the couple.
The victims’ belongings having been lost in the river, they have not yet been fully identified. The police know that it is about Foreign nationals, perhaps tourists on vacation in the area. They also think that the couple is probably Austrian, an image referring to Austria is on the helmet of man.
#French
