A seasonal worker at a Pyrenean ski resort killed himself during a hike undertaken despite confinement against the spread of the coronavirus, which had put him out of work, AFP learned on Sunday. "The 28-year-old man worked in catering on a ski resort, but was unemployed" because of the confinement, said Captain Julien Passeron, commander of the CRS Pyrenees.
Friday afternoon, he set out to climb a summit "visible from the accommodation where he was confined with other seasonal workers" in the town of Aragnouet (Hautes-Pyrénées), he added, adding that the road borrowed was "not a usual hiking path, but rather a very steep wooded mountain slope".
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When he got to the top, he called a seasonal friend, who, not seeing him return several hours later, informed the emergency services that evening. Five rescuers and two dogs went looking for him until 3 am, without success, said Captain Passeron. The lifeless body of the young man was discovered Saturday morning and recovered by helicopter.
The reinforced containment rules presented Monday by the government allow brief trips to "ventilate" within the limit of one hour daily and within a maximum radius of one kilometer around his home. "There we were far," said the commander of the CRS Pyrenees.