A 27-year-old mountaineer, a professional soldier, died Saturday, August 22, in the afternoon, in the Ecrins massif (Hautes-Alpes) where he was evolving with his two brothers, AFP learned from the prosecutor's office in Gap.
The tragedy occurred around 1 p.m. at the Aiguille des Saffres, at an altitude of nearly 3,000 meters, where the victim was taking part in a family outing. " The accident occurred when the group, which was in a snow corridor and roped, unscrewed to find itself at the bottom of a roture, that is to say between the glacier and the rock face ", the public prosecutor in Gap, Florent Crouhy, told AFP.
Read also: Black series on the Alpine massifs, bereaved by a dozen deaths in three days
The soldier stationed in Varces (Isère) died despite the first aid provided by his brothers, unharmed but in shock, and the intervention of rescuers from the High Mountain Gendarmerie Platoon (PGHM) of Briançon.
The prosecution opened an investigation for "manslaughter", entrusted to the PGHM.