If an investigation has been opened to determine the circumstances of the death, the theory of an accidental fall is at this stage the most likely.
Monday evening, around 8:30 p.m., the gendarmes of the Alpes-Maritimes high mountain gendarmerie platoon (PGHM 06) received an alert. The companion of a hiker in his thirties, very worried, informed them of his disappearance. Having left a few hours earlier to travel the steep paths of the Boréon massif, in the heart of the Vésubie valley, the man has since given no sign of life.
It is pitch black when a large search operation is deployed, at an altitude of more than 2,500 meters. “We use all the means at our disposal, in particular a helicopter with a team of rescuers and doctors on board. At the same time, personnel are mobilized by land in the sector, supported by a dog team.details Lieutenant Jérôme Bourrières, commander of the PGHM. Investigations last for hours, in particularly difficult conditions. The emergency services have to deal with the first snowy episode of the season which makes the task even more difficult.
Geolocation
It was ultimately the geolocation of the victim's cell phone that led the soldiers to his inanimate remains, at the foot of a dizzying rocky ridge, at around 3 a.m. “We were able to see it thanks to the helicopter’s headlight”details Commander Bourrières. Unfortunately, there is nothing more to be done, the man is dead. If an investigation was opened to determine the circumstances of the death, the theory of an accidental fall seems the most likely. “He obviously made a mistake on his route since where he was there was no hiking path or track”agrees the commander of the PGHM.
A tragedy which pushes the police to remind mountain users of some rules of caution: “The importance of equipping yourself well and wearing good shoes, also of giving your itinerary to someone before leaving and above all, avoiding as much as possible leaving alone”insists Lieutenant Bourrières.
