Nature can be merciless, even when it comes to one of the most touristic places in France.
A woman in her sixties died on Thursday after falling from the top of the famous cliffs of Étretat in Seine-Maritime, reports the maritime prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea.
These rocky masses, which can reach up to 90 meters high, are the pride of the city of 1,400 inhabitants and of the French coasts with their arched shape carved out by the ocean.
They attract more than a million tourists each year, and many hikers.
The victim from Sarthe
The deceased was at the top of the cliffs of Étretat, with a group of hikers when she fell, several local press headlines said.
Rescue teams were dispatched to the scene after the incident was reported.
[#Operation] to search for a person who fell overboard in the Etretat sector by the @Sdis76, the @SauveteursenMer and the 🚁 Dauphin of the @MarineNationale, under the coordination of the [#CROSS] Gris-Nez ➡️ https://t.co/5z46dZy78N pic.twitter.com/Lrr8FzT0Fg
– Channel and North Sea Maritime Prefecture (@premarmanche) May 12, 2022
The Cap-Fagnet all-weather canoe from the Fécamp national sea rescue company, the Yportaise semi-rigid boat from the Yport national sea rescue company and the Dauphin helicopter from the French Navy based in Le Touquet ( Pas-de-Calais) intervened, details the prefecture of the Channel and the North Sea.
Despite the efforts of rescuers, the woman, originally from Sarthe according to Paris-Normandy, did not survive the incident.
She was found in cardiopulmonary arrest and could not be revived.