The body of a 16-year-old boy was found unconscious, after two hours of searching, this Saturday, south of Toulouse.
The teenager seems to have been swept away by the current of the Garonne, after coming to the aid of a six-year-old girl, a member of his family, who had found himself in difficulty, reports La Dépêche.
The boy and his family had bathed at a place called Aouch, in the town of Fauga (Haute-Garonne).
According to La Dépêche, the place is known for offering a beach on the banks of the Garonne.
Seeing the six-year-old girl in trouble, the teenager managed to pull her out of the stream, but was swept away before disappearing into the water.
According to Actu.fr, the girl is in fact the cousin of the victim.
Significant relief resources were dispatched to the site, with firefighters in the water and other firefighters, as well as gendarmes, on the banks.
A gendarmerie helicopter also flew over the area to find a trace of the teenager, explains La Dépêche.
It was finally after two hours that his body was found.
Swimming was prohibited
An investigation was opened to shed light on the precise circumstances of the tragedy.
An autopsy of the body should be performed in the next few days to confirm the drowning.
"This tragedy should remind everyone that it is absolutely necessary to respect the fixed rules and in particular when swimming is prohibited", testified to La Dépêche the mayor of Fauga, Jean-Marie Puig.
If the place called Aouch does indeed look like a beach with its sandy and pebble beach, swimming is prohibited there.
