Irish teen lost in French Alps wearing shorts and t-shirt found safe

An Irish teenager was ‘miraculously’ found safe after spending hours outside in the freezing Alps wearing only shorts and a t-shirt.

The drunk 19-year-old had gone the wrong way after leaving a nightclub in Les Deux Alpes (Isère) at 04:00 on Wednesday (January 3). The temperature outside was -4°C.

Stumbling home, she went off the path and got lost in the woods of the Venosc valley.

She managed to call the emergency services dialling 112, but as she had a foreign telephone number, they were unable to trace her location and she was unable to tell them where she was.

The 19-year-old then called her father, who contacted the CRS Alpes mountain rescue service. They then sent him a text message link to a geolocalisation system, GendLoc, which he forwarded to his daughter.

She activated the link, allowing the emergency services to locate her at 07:00 on Wednesday morning.

‘A miraculous escape’

“When we found her, she had some cuts and bruises from falling as she tried to find her way. She also had slight hypothermia,” said Commander Ludovic Saint Bonnet of the CRS Alpes.

“It was a miraculous escape because alone, and wearing so little, she wouldn’t have lasted much longer in the cold.”

The woman was transported to hospital in Grenoble to be treated for hypothermia. She is reportedly out of danger and recovering.

"Our team was truly relieved to find her,” said Commander Saint Bonnet, adding that several people have died in the area after drinking too much and getting lost.

“Just because you’re going out clubbing doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t dress appropriately for the environment,” he said.

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