British man dies kayaking in south-east France

A British man died while kayaking in the river Durance in south-east France on Tuesday June 12.

A rescue operation was launched on Tuesday afternoon to help “kayakers in difficulty in the river”, the police of the Hautes-Alpes department said on X. 

Local media report a group of British kayakers got into difficulty while on the river, which runs close to Briançon, in the Hautes-Alpes department. 

Three people were spotted struggling in the river, two trying to help a third who had flipped over, newspaper Dauphiné Libéré reported. 

Two people were pulled out unharmed. One man, who was English and around 50 years old, could not be resuscitated.

“I confirm the death of a man of English nationality,” public prosecutor Marion Lozac'hmeur told Dauphiné Libéré. 

The paper said the kayakers were part of an organised group on the river. Kayaking is a popular activity in the area.

An investigation has been launched into the cause of the incident. The high level of the water because of melting snow appears to have been a factor, La Provence reported. 

It comes after the death of an Irish kayaker on Monday in Saint-Paul-sur-Ubaye, the paper reported.