It was a witness to the scene who raised the alert.
A 65-year-old man, from the Nantes region according to Ouest-France, was swept away Monday afternoon by a wave in Saint-Pierre de Quiberon, in Morbihan, the Atlantic maritime prefecture announced in the evening.
The drama took place shortly before 5:30 p.m. at the point of Percho.
Immediately informed, the Regional Operational Center for Surveillance and Rescue (CROSS) of Etel hires a major device, consisting among others of a helicopter and a light rescue boat.
The victim, unconscious, could be hoisted by helicopter at 5:55 p.m.
But, "despite the resuscitation efforts of the Samu team", the sixty-year-old was found in cardiopulmonary arrest and could not be brought back to life, specifies the maritime prefecture.
The maritime and prefectural authorities have called for special vigilance these days on the seaside because of the high tides which last until midweek.
This Monday, the tide was high around 6.15 p.m. in the Quiberon sector.
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A month and a half ago, a young woman also died in Ploemeur, in Morbihan, swept away by a wave.
Despite the rapid intervention of the emergency services, the 22-year-old victim could not be saved.
One of her friends, who was part of a group of students who came from the Paris region for vacation, had jumped into the water to try to recover it.
The young man, "in a state of hypothermia", survived.