Brit woman in her 60s dies in adventure sport tragedy while holidaying in French Alps
A British woman has tragically lost her life following a devastating white water rafting incident at a renowned French holiday destination, prompting authorities to launch a manslaughter investigation.
The British tourist, aged in her 60s, passed away on Saturday following the horrific accident which occurred just after noon, close to the Alpine town of Briançon in the French Alps.
The victim plunged from her raft during a guided excursion on the Guisane River and was subsequently "discovered on the riverbank", firefighters confirmed. This tragic incident comes as UK police c ontinue to search bodies of water for missing woman Rachel Booth.
Emergency responders found her and transported her to a nearby hospital in South East France, close to the Italian border. The British holidaymaker sadly died from her injuries sustained in the tragic incident.
An autopsy will be carried out on the woman "born in 1956", prosecutors confirmed, reports the Mirror.
Authorities have launched a manslaughter inquiry into her death, with Briançon CRS Alpes leading the investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The probe will also examine the role of the tour guides who were supervising the British woman's excursion when the accident occurred.
A local public prosecutor stated: "Investigations are continuing to determine the circumstances of the accident."
A Foreign Office spokesperson said: "We are in touch with local authorities following the death of a British woman in France."
Tragically, this British woman is not the only UK national to have lost their life while white water rafting abroad. Schoolboy Matthew Hitchman met with a fatal accident during a rafting excursion on a school trip to Ecuador at just 17 years of age.
Matthew was partaking in a month-long trek across the Andes with his classmates and teachers when he was thrown from an inflatable boat in 2017.
The Royal Grammar School in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, reported that despite efforts, rescuing Matthew "proved impossible".
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