A 24-year-old man who practiced ski touring in Haute-Savoie despite the obligation of confinement was found dead Sunday at 2300 meters above sea level in the Mont Blanc massif, we learned from the emergency services in the mountains. His body was discovered around 12:30 p.m. by rescuers of the Chamonix High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon (PGHM) on the steep slopes located along the tram line leading to the Eagle's Nest refuge.
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According to the first elements of the investigation, this young Haut-Savoyard from the neighboring resort of Les Houches had started off alone on Saturday morning from his ski area and was progressing towards the Goûter refuge, located at 3,800 meters above sea level. “He unscrewed and fell 300 meters. The accident probably took place on Saturday, " said the commander of the Chamonix PGHM Stéphane Bozon, confirming information from France Bleu Pays de Savoie.
It is a neighbor of the skier, worried to note that the young man did not give sign of life and that his skis were missing, who gave the alert this Sunday at noon.
This Sunday, the Chamonix PGHM also intervened in Savoy for the benefit of a 27-year-old man who found himself stranded during a hike in the vicinity of the town of Mercury, where he had traveled by car to hike despite the containment measures.
On March 25, the prefect of Haute-Savoie issued a decree "prohibiting attendance and activities in the mountains as part of the fight against the coronavirus" . The text prohibits "all travel in the mountains within a radius of more than 100 meters of elevation above the place of confinement" , and this until April 15.
On Sunday, the chairman of the Chamonix PGHM Stéphane Bozon condemned the "irresponsibility" of practitioners who continue to face the obligation of confinement. "We patrol a lot and we still observe groups everywhere," laments Stéphane Bozon. "Recreational accidentology must stop as soon as possible so as not to overload hospitals involved in the fight against the coronavirus" .
